An NXT Women’s Championship bout and a Logan Paul appearance are among the items announced for the Monday, October 23 WWE Raw.
NXT Women’s Champion Becky Lynch will defend her title against Indi Hartwell on next week’s Raw. The match has been teased for several weeks in backstage segments and was finally announced on Monday’s episode.
Logan Paul is also set to appear on next week’s Raw. Paul is coming off a boxing victory over DIllon Danis this past weekend where in the post-match he issued a challenge to Rey Mysterio for the United States Championship. Mysterio & Paul are set for a face-to-face confrontation on Friday’s WWE SmackDown.
Three more matches have also been announced for the October 23 Raw.
Top contender to Seth Rollins’ World Heavyweight Champion Drew McIntyre will be in singles competition next week against Sami Zayn.
In a tag team bout, The New Day’s Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods are set to take on Chad Gable & Otis of Alpha Academy.
Imperium’s Giovanni Vinci will also be in action next week against Johnny Gargano. Imperium’s leader Gunther told Vinci in a backstage segment this week that he expects Gargano to be stretchered out of the building at Vinci’s hands next Monday.
The announced lineup for the Monday, October 23 Raw:
NXT Women’s Champion Becky Lynch defends against Indi Hartwell
Logan Paul appears
Drew McIntyre vs. Sami Zayn
The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) vs. Alpha Academy (Chad Gable & Otis)
This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the SAP Center in San Jose, California before Monday’s episode of Raw.
These matches were just last week’s shuffled around and since the releases a few weeks ago, the show feels like it has a more limited pool of talent to work with. This was the third straight week that Main Event offered an all-women’s card.
Indi Hartwell defeated Xia Li (5:19)
This was just there really, not much to shout about at all but it told a story of sorts in which Hartwell’s knee wouldn’t hold and yet she still got her hand raised against the odds.
Hartwell has done really well on Main Event since she started getting some main roster action back in February of this year. Only a couple of defeats to Dana Brooke and Nikki Cross, but otherwise lots of wins. She also worked a three-way on NXT this past week and is certainly getting her minutes in.
The crowd liked Hartwell and didn’t like Li much, and they especially didn’t like her when she started to work over Hartwell’s left knee. She used a kind of knee bar, almost a half Boston crab to get Hartwell hobbling in discomfort.
Li telegraphed everything after this far too much so it was relatively easy for Hartwell to get the win. She dodged a charge and hit a cool-looking spinebuster. Then she missed a high knee and ate a facebuster to allow Hartwell to get the win.
Nikki Cross defeated Kayden Carter (6:54)
Cross’ finisher, The Purge, is proving decisive on Main Event these days and it once again got it done here. Carter took most of this one and although better than the opener, wasn’t anything special.
Cross is quite active on her socials and built up this one on X this week, as well as reposting some positive press from others.
This week!!!!!!
Resident Crazy Girl V Resident Party Animal @wwekayden #WWEMainEvent@WWE
As she normally does in these matches, she gave Carter plenty of chances to take control and show off what she can do. Cross is very good in this sort of spot.
Cross hit a Stinger Splash and a Michinoku Driver before she went for and missed a top rope cross-body. Carter seized the opportunity and locked in a submission hold. It didn’t feel like the finish and it wasn’t.
Cross crawled her way to the ropes to break the hold and then quickly managed to counter Carter to hit The Purge for the win.
This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California before Monday’s episode of Raw.
Another all-women’s edition of the show made for nice viewing, but nothing really dazzled. Everyone worked hard but, all told, this was a missable show.
Indi Hartwell defeated Kayden Carter (w/Katana Chance) (6:06)
Neither Hartwell nor Carter did anything wrong here, they just didn’t really use the time they were given and so the match felt like it was just there.
This was just the second singles match these two have had but they’ve certainly been on opposing teams in NXT tag matches several times in recent years.
This was Carter’s second appearance on Main Event and she remains winless. Hartwell has been booked evenly on the show, having traded wins recently with Dana Brooke before she was released.
Chance was on the outside cheerleading but didn’t really add much. Hartwell hit a spinebuster in the last few minutes which looked cool, and they both took time to gather themselves.
Carter then dodged a stomp and swept Hartwell off her feet. She did a neat springboard leg drop but only got a near fall from it.
In the end, Hartwell got the win with a modified full nelson she transitions into a flapjack. Carter and Chance were left to lick their wounds.
Nikki Cross defeated Xia Li (6:26)
This was the better of the two matches, but much like the opener, it dragged a little and would have been better if they had shaved off a couple of minutes.
It’s rare that they give the two matches on Main Event a similar amount of time. This one was longer because they shoved a commercial break in part way through, but was otherwise a similar length to the opener.
Cross is a new regular on this show and generally gets her hand raised. They seem to trust her to take the lead against greener talent and you wonder whether she may take on a trainer-type role in her later years.
Li was sporting new red and black ring gear which looks very cool. She also has face paint to match, so her overall presentation is way better. I’m still not convinced by her overall, but Cross gave her loads here to show off what she can do.
Li had Cross draped over the apron at one point and used a leg drop before going outside and banging the dasher boards to try to rally the crowd.
There were times when Li was getting frustrated by not being able to get it done and with her new face paint the way she screamed into the mat gave her a renewed intensity that looked a lot more believable.
Cross took a beating, but it was a tilt-a-whirl DDT and her finisher, a swinging fisherman’s neckbreaker I believe she calls The Purge, that earned her the victory.
WWE Main Event was taped at the Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, before Monday’s Raw.
In an all-women’s edition of the show, there was some decent wrestling offered with Tegan Nox vs. Xia Li offering the most engaging action on this week’s show.
Nikki Cross defeated Indi Hartwell (5:28)
This was fine for what it was and it was good to see Hartwell going up against another experienced hand even if it didn’t go her way in the end.
It will be interesting to see how this show changes over the coming weeks, given the releases that have taken place in the company. Regulars over the last few years such as Mustafa Ali, Dana Brooke, Shelton Benjamin, Emma, and Riddick Moss all being gone means the landscape of this show will look very different.
Cross and Hartwell worked well together with Cross leading the action. They did a chinlock spot which is always a frustration in these short matches, especially with a crowd that is eager for the Raw episode that is to come.
After Hartwell got a two count from a spinebuster, Cross regained the advantage and they went to the finish. Cross used a DDT to plant Hartwell and then came off the top rope with a crossbody to get the win.
That isn’t much of a finisher, but it got the job done for Cross, who has only lost once in 11 matches on Main Event this year.
Tegan Nox defeated Xi Li (7:04)
They told a story here with Li working over Nox’s knee. The crowd was certainly behind Nox, who is easy to like.
Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio this past week that it had been the plan for Nox to take on Becky Lynch for the NXT Women’s Title on Raw, but for whatever reason, that plan was changed and Natalya took her place. Instead, Nox found herself back on Main Event this week where she has been a semi-regular since May.
Before the break, they were very much equal with some intricate pinning combinations. Li changed things up when she went after Nox’s left knee and they went to the break with her lying on the outside of the ring in pain.
After the ads, it was very much Li focusing on Nox’s knee, but Nox did a tremendous job of selling the pain. Li used a half-crab, which was built up on commentary. When Nox did eventually get to her feet, she was unsteady and sold it as if she couldn’t bear weight on her left leg.
Nox was just about able to rally and muster a Stinger splash before kicking out of a suplex. She then ducked an enzuigiri from Li, which enabled her to hit the Shining Wizard for the pin and win.
This was a neat little match with a neat little story — made all the better for the reaction that Nox got from the crowd.
This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York, before Monday’s Raw.
The all-women’s edition this week didn’t quite deliver, but it was fun to see Natalya in action while Indi Hartwell is getting better all the time. JD McDonagh vs. Apollow Crews III has still yet to happen and would have been a way better curtain-jerker than either of these matches.
Natalya defeated Xia Li (5:20)
Although the crowd rallied to give this one some energy, it was a tepid affair that lost its way a few times toward the end. This was, according to Byron Saxton, Natalya’s 1517th televised WWE match.
Natalya sold and sold for Li in the early going. Li’s offense is pretty basic and there was a lot of clubbing and chops to the corner, as well as a rest hold. The idea was clearly for Natalya to allow Li to show off what she can do, but it didn’t translate into anything particularly interesting.
When Natalya made her comeback, she went for the Sharpshooter but got kicked off and then was nailed with a pop-up enziguri in one of the best spots of the match.
The crowd recovered here and when Li missed a running knee to the corner, they could sense the end was coming. Natalya locked in the Sharpshooter and that was all she wrote.
Natalya is so good at building tension. When she put Li in the submission hold, she paused and gave a long look to the crowd which they ate up. What a pro.
Indi Hartwell (w/ Candice LeRae) defeated Dana Brooke (7:56)
They lost the crowd and it dragged after a very early commercial break. However, Hartwell and LeRae are getting over while Brooke is increasingly well-appreciated by live crowds.
No offense to either of these two, but this is not the match to get a pre-Raw crowd hyped up for the show ahead. They should have given Brooke a partner and this would have reaped far better rewards as a result.
They worked hard for an audience that pretty much sat on their hands. Hartwell took the bulk of the offense, trying quick covers to get it done early.
LeRae kept shouting advice from the sidelines. Hartwell went for rest holds and a sleeper and the match slowed right down. Eventually, Brooke fought her way out by backing Hartwell into the corner.
They fought on the top rope, and teased a superplex, but Brooke came out on top and used a crossbody that led to them both being down. Just when it looked like Brooke was going to take this one, her plans got thwarted at the last minute.
Brooke used a handspring back elbow and went for a sunset flip, but Hartwell was too strong and stood still before sinking to her knees and hooking Brooke’s legs to steal the win.
Monday night’s episode of Raw featured the reunion of a former NXT faction.
The Way (Johnny Gargano, Candice LeRae, Indi Hartwell, and Dexter Lumis) appeared together in a backstage segment on last night’s show. In the segment, The Way refused to sign Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville’s petition for a Women’s Tag Team title shot against Raquel Rodriguez & Liv Morgan.
There was also a tease during the segment that someone else could soon be returning. Gargano told The Way that “he’s coming back soon.” Gargano said he thought it would be great, but LeRae didn’t agree.
Though WWE hasn’t revealed who Gargano was talking about, it may have been his former NXT tag team partner Tommaso Ciampa. Ciampa has been out of action since last September. He underwent hip surgery in October of last year.
Gargano, LeRae, Hartwell, and Lumis were all selected by Raw in the WWE Draft. Hartwell was called up from NXT in the draft. She was NXT Women’s Champion when she was drafted, but Hartwell relinquished the title last week.
United States Champion Austin Theory was formerly a member of The Way in NXT. Theory is currently a heel on the SmackDown brand.
A tournament to crown a new NXT Women’s Champion will take place starting on next week’s NXT.
Indi Hartwell came out during the final segment of NXT this week and announced that starting next week, a tournament will begin that will crown a new NXT Women’s Champion at Battleground on May 28. Hartwell had been drafted to Raw on last week’s SmackDown.
After she placed the Women’s Championship on the ground, she wondered who would help her out of the ring, mentioning earlier in the promo that she had suffered an ankle sprain during last week’s NXT Women’s title match. It was then that Dexter Lumis appeared under the ring. Hartwell was carried away by Lumis as Tiffany Stratton and Cora Jade grabbed the NXT Women’s Championship in the ring. The show ended with the NXT women’s roster brawling over the championship.
Hartwell held the championship for 31 days, winning the championship in a ladder match at NXT Stand & Deliver last month. Other participants in the match included Roxanne Perez, Lyra Valkyria, Stratton, Zoey Stark, and Gigi Dolin.
Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre retained the NXT Women’s Tag Team titles over Katana Chance and Kayden Carter on Tuesday’s NXT. They indicated they would be taking the titles to SmackDown, where they were drafted as part of the 2023 WWE Draft.
Night one of the WWE Draft saw multiple champions from NXT get called up to the main roster.
NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn were drafted to SmackDown on Friday night, while NXT Women’s Champion Indi Hartwell was drafted to Raw. They were the only wrestlers from NXT selected on night one of the draft.
Fyre & Dawn and Hartwell each won their titles at NXT Stand & Deliver earlier this month.
Before heading to SmackDown, Fyre & Dawn will defend their titles against Katana Chance & Kayden Carter on NXT this coming Tuesday (May 2). There was a segment on tonight’s SmackDown where Chance & Carter confronted Fyre & Dawn after it was announced that Fyre & Dawn had been drafted.
Fyre (the former Kay Lee Ray) and Dawn are both from Scotland and formerly wrestled for NXT UK.
Hartwell retained her NXT Women’s Championship by defeating Roxanne Perez and Tiffany Stratton in a triple threat match at NXT Spring Breakin’ this past Tuesday. Hartwell suffered a legitimate ankle injury during the match but was able to return and retain her title.
The full list of picks from night one of the WWE Draft can be found here.
The draft will continue with night two taking place on Monday’s episode of Raw. WWE has stated that “select” wrestlers from NXT are eligible to be drafted.
Several NXT stars are currently dealing with injuries.
Bryan Alvarez reported on Wednesday that Indi Hartwell was legitimately hurt during the NXT Women’s Championship main event at Spring Breakin on Tuesday. After Tiffany Stratton hit a tope off the turnbuckle and to the floor, Indi Hartwell injured her ankle upon landing. Hartwell was taken to the back while Stratton and Roxanne Perez worked the rest of the match, until Hartwell returned to the ring for the finish.
“They actually changed the finish to Tiffany winning after Indi got hurt, but then Indi managed to make it back out to do the planned finish,” Alvarez wrote on Twitter.
Grayson Waller was also injured during his match against Carmelo Hayes at Spring Breakin. According to Alvarez on Wrestling Observer Live, the match went immediately to the finish once Waller became hurt while doing his rolling cutter finish.
Sol Ruca is also legitimately injured. On Wednesday, NXT Anonymous posted a video of Ruca being attacked outside the Performance Center. An ongoing storyline in NXT has a mystery assailant attacking the women’s roster outside of the Performance Center, with Nikkita Lyons and Wendy Choo being recent victims.
Jade jumped Indi Hartwell following a successful title defense against Zoey Stark on Tuesday’s show. As Hartwell had a staredown with Tiffany Stratton, who was on the entrance stage, Jade attacked her from behind and posed with the NXT Women’s Championship, exchanging words with Stratton as she made her exit. Later, when she was walking out of the Performance Center, Lyra Valkyria confronted Jade, setting up a match for next week.
It was recently reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Jade had suffered an “undisclosed injury” two months ago, and as a result has not been on television. Her last appearance was at a NXT house show on January 20, where she lost to Roxanne Perez in a match that had been for the NXT Women’s Championship.
Jade had been feuding with Valkyria prior to her injury. A match between the two had been announced for the January 31 episode of NXT, but it never took place.
Hartwell won the ladder match at Saturday’s NXT Stand & Deliver to win the championship for the first time. The finish saw Hartwell unsure of herself as she stared at the ladder. Suddenly, Dexter Lumis showed up and helped Hartwell climb up the ladder. Hartwell grabbed the title, becoming champion for the first time.
During the match, we also saw the return of Jacy Jayne. At one point, she pushed former tag team partner Gigi Dolin off the ladder, sending her out of the ring for the remainder of the match.
Roxanne Perez’s run with the NXT Women’s Championship ended after over 100 days, defeating Mandy Rose on the December 13, 2022 edition of NXT. In the weeks leading to Stand & Deliver, her status for the match had been in question after collapsing following retaining her title against Meiko Satomura at NXT Roadblock. Perez told Shawn Michaels in his office on Tuesday’s NXT that she was cleared. Michaels was hesitant on letting her compete, but eventually relented.
Roxanne Perez will be defending her NXT Women’s Championship in the Stand & Deliver ladder match.
A vignette aired on Tuesday’s NXT showing Perez entering Shawn Michaels’ office, informing him that doctors had cleared her after suffering from anxiety and body exhaustion following her title match against Meiko Satomura at NXT Roadblock. Michaels initially suggested to Perez she vacate the title to take more time to recover. Perez instead made a plea to Michaels to put her in the ladder match. Michaels eventually relented.
Later in the show, Indi Hartwell won a last chance three-way match, defeating Sol Rouca and Ivy Nile to become the sixth and final participant in the ladder match. She will be joined by Tiffany Stratton, Zoey Stark, Gigi Dolin, and Lyra Valkyria this Saturday.
Here is the updated lineup for Stand & Deliver:
NXT Championship: Bron Breakker (c) vs. Carmelo Hayes
NXT Women’s title ladder match: Roxanne Perez (c) vs. Zoey Stark vs. Gigi Dolin vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Indi Hartwell
NXT Women’s Tag Team titles: Kiana James & Fallon Henley vs. Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn
NXT North American title: Wes Lee vs. Dragon Lee vs. Ilja Dragunov vs. JD McDonagh vs. Axiom
NXT Tag Team titles: Gallus (c) vs. The Creed Brothers vs. Tony D’Angelo & Stacks
Winner gets the school: The Schism vs. Chase U & Tyler Bate
Unsanctioned match: Johnny Gargano vs. Grayson Waller
The road to Stand & Deliver continues on tonight’s episode of NXT.
The next two participants for the NXT Women’s Championship ladder match at Stand & Deliver will be confirmed. Tiffany Stratton vs. Indi Hartwell and Lyra Valkyria vs. Ivy Nile are tonight’s qualifying matches. The injured Wendy Choo was originally announced as Valkyria’s opponent but has been replaced by Nile.
Zoey Stark and Gigi Dolin have already qualified for the ladder match. The status of NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez remains uncertain following the angle where she passed out after facing Meiko Satomura two weeks ago. If Perez isn’t able to return in time, the Stand & Deliver ladder match will be for the vacant championship.
A grudge match between Ilja Dragunov and JD McDonagh has also been announced for tonight’s show. Plus, Chase U and the Schism will meet inside of the ring for a “Great Debate” to prove which team represents togetherness more.
Our live coverage starts at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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The entrance of Pretty Deadly open this episode from a soundstage at the Performance Center in Orlando. Kit Wilson and Elton Prince come to the ring dressed in elegant street clothes.
They say their first act as the hosts of Stand & Deliver is to wipe last week episode from the archives. I’d want that too if a segment made me look like geeks.
Pretty Deadly goes on to insult NXT Tag Team Champions Gallus. They also take issue with NXT Champion Bron Breakker and Carmelo Hayes. Those two together put both Wilson and Prince through a table. Pretty Deadly also makes fun of Hayes and Breakker’s fashion sense.
The insults lead to an interruption, which is such a pro wrestling cliche. So overdone, but here we are again. Out comes Trick Williams and Hayes to interrupt Pretty Deadly. Hayes and Williams confront them in the ring.
There is banter back and forth between the four. Good thing this segment happens, as otherwise there is apparently no main event booked for the show. Luckily, there is beef here, thus setting up Hayes and Breakker against Pretty Deadly in a tag match.
As Williams is making the match, he is announcing who will face Pretty Deadly. Williams hypes up Hayes, and then goes to announce Hayes’ partner. Hayes seems to think the partner is Williams, but Williams says Bron Breakker instead. Hayes is taken aback by this, but he had little time to stew over it.
Pretty Deadly jumps Hayes and Williams, and they begin to double team Hayes. Williams is thrown out of the ring, and he is unable to help Hayes. Breakker runs down to the ramp to the rescue. Breakker makes the save, and he cleans house. Breakker picks up Prince in a military press, and he throws him over the ropes on Wilson at ringside.
Breakker helps Hayes to his feet, and Breakker tells him he wants noting to happen to Hayes until Stand & Deliver. Breakker wants no excuses for Hayes.
After a commercial break, Hayes and Williams are in their locker room. Hayes is upset with Williams for booking him in a match. Williams insists he has Hayes’ back. Williams tries to convince Hayes that teaming with Breakker is a way to get a “cheat code” for Breakker. Basically, Hayes can scout Breakker ahead of their title match at Stand & Deliver.
Tiffany Stratton defeated Indi Hartwell in a championship qualifying match
Stratton pinned Hartwell to qualify for a championship ladder match at Stand & Deliver. For the finish, Stratton gives Hartwell a rolling fireman’s carry slam, and Stratton follows that with a Christopher Daniels’ Best Moonsault Ever.
The match goes through a commercial break, and Stratton eventually wins in the second half of the bout. It was decent for what it was.
NXT Tag Team Champions Gallus is playing pool at a local pub when in walks The Creed Brothers. The two teams play a game of billiards. Gallus wins, so Creeds challenge them to a game of darts. Creeds win at darts. They all decide the tie-breaker will be a tag team title match at Stand & Deliver. Just as all four walk outside, up walks Tony D’Angelo and Stacks. D’Angelo has business to discuss, so they all go back inside.
Lyra Valkyria is the focus of a vignette that shows her training for Stand & Deliver.
McKenzie Mitchell interviews Gigi Dolan about the ladder match at Stand & Deliver. Tiffany Stratton interrupts them to annoy us all.
NXT North American Champion Wes Lee is headed to the ring to announce his four challengers at Stand & Deliver. Lee cuts an impassioned promo about wanting to defend his title against the best athletes around the ring, and prove he deserves to be the champion.
Time for the third interruption of the night. Cannot hardly talk without an interruption, but at least the third one was much more notable than first two. Out comes Dragon Lee to confront Wes Lee. For someone know more for their in-ring ability, Dragon Lee does well in a bilingual promo where he speaks English and Spanish.
Wes Lee makes Dragon Lee his first choice for the fatal five way match at Stand & Deliver for the NXT North American title.
For the fourth interruption of the night, here comes JD McDonagh. He has harsh words for Wes Lee. McDonagh was out there for his match that is up next against Ilja Dragunov, for what is a heated grudge match weeks in the making.
The NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions are in the locker room when Fallon Henley confronts Kiana James about Sebastian. Henley storms off after threatening to tell Brooks Jensen that James is cheating on him.
JD McDonagh vs. Ilja Dragunov goes to a no-contest
Best match on the show so far, despite a non-finish. This will be hard to top the rest of the night. Also hard to follow, as McDonagh and Dragunov left it all in the ring.
The match itself more than lives up to the build. Too bad they did not have an actual finish. Regardless, this sets up Dragunov and McDonagh getting added to the fatal five way. They both starting brawling with Dragon Lee, who was at ringside watching the match. Wes Lee also gets involved after the match is thrown out by the referee.
This grudge match in a blood feud begins with a slugfest as it should. Slobberknocker from the start, they settle into more of a wrestling match than a brawl. The intensity remains, and it looked very snug.
The live studio audience was hot for this bout. They did not so much pick sides as much as reveled in the violent spectacle. Dragunov and McDonagh fight through a commercial break. The intense grudge match continues after the break. McDonagh targets Dragunov’s eye socket, looking for a measure of revenge from a previous injury at the hands of Dragunov.
Dragunov fights from underneath in peril, and he comes back and signals for his finisher. McDonagh counters Dragunov, and McDonagh goes for a submission. The same hold that in storyline put Dragunov on the shelf for months. Dragunov escapes McDonagh’s clutches, and Dragunov lands a leaping forearm.
The fighting spills outside, and McDonagh and Dragunov trade strikes on the floor. They tie up and fall into Dragon Lee, who is seated at ringside watching the match. McDonagh gets up and hits Dragon Lee with a cheap shot. McDonagh punches Dragon Lee, so Dragon Lee joins the melee. Dragon Lee started trading strikes with both McDonagh and Dragunov. The referee throws out the match, calling for the bell. Wes Lee leaps in out of nowhere with a flip dive on all three. Seems to set up McDonagh and Dragunov being added to the fatal five way at Stand & Deliver.
Wes Lee in a backstage interview confirms McDonagh and Dragunov are added to the fatal five way title match. Axiom interrupts, wanting to be another addition. Wes Lee instead books a battle royal for next week, where the winner get the final spot in the five way match. Axiom is happy with that, saying he only wanted a chance.
Johnny Gargano challenges Grayson Waller to an unsanctioned match
Javier Bernal enters to soundstage cosplaying as Johnny Gargano. Bernal spoofs Gargano’s entrance and mannerisms. Bernal blames Gargano for stealing his spot at Stand & Deliver. This leads to yet another interruption. This time it was Gargano himself.
Johnny Wrestling marches to the ring and he makes short work of Bernal. He is thrown out of the ring by Gargano, and Bernal is slammed into the barricades. Gargano is in a rage.
Gargano has a challenge for Grayson Waller. Gargano offers to “raise the stakes” to an unsanctioned match. Gargano has a contract in his hand, and he tells Waller to come sign it. Another interruption, as Waller interrupts with a promo from the video screen.
Waller says he will sign the contract next week under one condition. That being Gargano is banned from the building. Gargano agrees, and Gargano gives the contract to Vic Joseph for safe keeping. Before leaving the ring, Gargano superkicks Bernal.
A vignette hypes Eddy Thorpe, who debuts next week on NXT.
McKenzie Mitchell interviews Ivy Nile, and Mitchell asks Nile about Tatum Paxley turning on her. Nile is upset over that, but she has to focus on her qualifying match tonight.
A vignette profiles Hank Walker and his journey from football player to pro wrestler. Good character development.
Drew Gulak and Charlie Dempsey are backstage watching Walker’s vignette, and they scoff at Walker.
Lyra Valkyria defeated Ivy Nile in a championship qualifying match
Valkyria pinned Nile to qualify for the championship ladder match at Stand & Deliver. As they go home, Nile has Valkyria caught in a Dragon Sleeper. Valkyria counters by pushing off the ropes to flip over Nile. German suplex by Valkyria sets up a roundhouse kick. Valkyria then covers Nile for a pinfall.
Fallon Henley is walking around backstage when she is jumped by Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn. They are double-teaming Henley when Kaina James runs in to make a save. Referees break up the brawl. James then asks Henley to not tell Jensen yet, and Henley agrees.
The Great Debate: Schism vs. Chase U
Blake Howard is the moderator for a series of one-on-one debates in an auditorium. The first debate is Duke Hudson against Rip Fowler and their topic is inclusion. Fowler does well, but Hudson not so much. He gives a half-hearted answer. Andre Chase asks him WTF was that.
Up next is Thea Hail debating with Ava on feeling safe. Ava insist there is safety under the Schism tree. Thea Hail recites a speech that is very pro-Chase U.
Andre Chase is set to face off against Joe Gacy in the final of the three debates. Tyler Bate interrupts, and he apologizes to Chase for his tardiness. Bate replaces Chase in the debate against Jagger Reid, who simply spouts The Schism catchphrase. Bate responds with a great speech that almost saves this lame skit. Nevertheless, the skit ends with a challenge.
Bate and Chase challenge The Schism to a four-person mixed tag match at Stand & Deliver. Joe Gacy says no and The Schism turn to leave. Duke Hudson butts in and blurts out, “We’ll put up the school.” Winner of the match gets control of Chase University. Gacy accepts that stipulation and the match is on for Stand & Deliver. Bate teams with Chase, Hudson and Hail against Gacy, Jagger, Reid and Ava with control of Chase U on the line.
Tony D’Angelo, Stacks, the team of Gallus, and the Creed Brothers all wake up after passing out in the pub from what appears to be a night of hard drinking. They all enjoy the boozing so much they agree to a triple threat match for the tag titles at Stand & Deliver.
NXT Champion Bron Breakker & Carmelo Hayes (with Trick Williams) defeated Pretty Deadly (Kit Wilson & Elton Prince)
The champ and his challenger work well as a team to win this match. Good match.
Pretty Deadly look strong as the match gets underway, as they look to work over Hayes. He fights back and Breakker joins him for a standoff with Pretty Deadly. Melee erupts, and Breakker helps elevate Hayes for a splash. Hayes and Breakker clear the ring, and they strand tall as the show cuts to its final commercial break.
Breakker is getting worked over as the show returns, after Breakker takes a hot shot during the break. Hot tag to Hayes, and he explodes into a flurry of action. Cool spot where Hayes sits on the middle rope and suplexes Wilson on top of Prince.
Hayes is soon cut off by Pretty Deadly, and they begin to work him over. Second hot tag of the match, this time to Breakker. He is a house of fire and fury. Breakker throws around Pretty Deadly with suplexes. Breakker then pulls down the strap on his singlet as he lets out a primal yell.
Breakker jumps off the top rope into a flying bulldog for a near fall. Breakker and Hayes narrowly avoid colliding into each other. Hayes gives Wilson a codebreaker, and Breakker follows up with a spear on Wilson. Breakker tags Hayes, and Hayes leaps off the top rope with Nothing But Net (flying legdrop). Hayes then covers Wilson for a three count.
Breakker and Hayes pose together after the match in what becomes a subsequent staredown ahead of their title match next Saturday.
Last week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, before Monday’s Raw.
Dana Brooke defeated Indi Hartwell (5:13)
This was fine and while it gave Hartwell lots of time, it didn’t really allow her to show off what she can do. Thus, the match was fairly basic.
Hartwell had an inset promo as she headed to the ring, saying that fresh off appearing in her first Royal Rumble match, she was now ticking off another thing on her bucket list: competing in a match on Main Event.
Hartwell is only 25 and seems to be destined to make a run at the main roster soon. The Rumble appearance and now working here are certainly encouraging signs for the Australian.
She and Brooke had a very friendly encounter with lots of smiles, especially in the early exchanges. But it was an uncomplicated match-up with a couple of rear chin locks thrown in for good measure.
Hartwell had a couple of spots, including a spinebuster, but it ran slightly longer than the usual Main Event opener with Brooke finishing her opponent off with a spinning neckbreaker for the win.
Much like they have done with other babyfaces on Main Event in past weeks, Brooke helped Hartwell to her feet and raised her hand as a show of respect.
Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson defeated The Creed Brothers (w/ Ivy Nile) (7:29)
This was great in the last few minutes with lots of broken up pin attempts and both teams trying everything to get the win. I give huge credit to Gallows & Anderson who really made the Creeds look excellent here.
Before the match, they aired a backstage segment where Gallows & Anderson were joking around with the Creeds. Ivy Nile interrupted and told them it was time to get serious. Julius and Brutus left first before Nile glared at them both as she left. Anderson joked to Gallows that he thought she liked him.
Gallows & Anderson had a run where they were essentially Main Event regulars back in 2020, so it must feel a little unnerving to have been brought back to the company to end up here again. But, at least their opponents were fresh and interesting here and The Good Brothers were certainly the perfect match to help get the real-life brothers over.
Early on, Julius and Brutus cut the ring in half, working over Anderson to get the heat. Eventually, Gallows broke it up with a blind tag and the pair worked together to send the Creed brothers to the outside as we went to a break.
After the commercials, it was Gallows and Anderson’s turn to dominate as they worked over Brutus to build for the hot tag for Julius. Julius was animated on the apron, jumping up and down, desperate to get in the ring.
When it came, the hot tag was definitely the highlight. Julius was able to show off his speed and strength with Anderson bumping all over for him and giving him loads of offense. The pair built to a false finish where Brutus had Anderson in a piledriver position and Julius leapt over the top of him to nail Anderson with a sliding leg lariat. Anderson barely kicked out before three.
Then, things got completely chaotic and the live crowd loved it. The crux of what happened was Gallows & Anderson looked to be going for the Magic Killer, but Julius fought his way out and dispatched Anderson to the outside. He and Brutus then hit consecutive standing moonsaults, but Anderson broke up the pin attempt.
The finish saw Julius get posted by Gallows so that he and Anderson could finally hit the Magic Killer and get the win while they had the stronger man neutralised and targeted the weaker man. The earlier backstage stuff with Nile never played into anything.
They all shook hands after the replays so that the Creeds could get their hands raised, too. This was good house show stuff.
Final Thoughts:
Another set of fresh faces on Main Event this week made for a very watchable show. I really enjoyed the tag match and would be more than happy for them to do it again next week. The Creeds looked perfectly at home here and a feud with Alpha Academy would be the next obvious move if they stay around the main roster.
Axiom and Indi Hartwell have qualified for their respective Iron Survivor Challenge matches for this weekend’s NXT Deadline event.
NXT on Tuesday opened with Axiom defeating Von Wagner and Andre Chase after pinning Wagner with the Golden Ratio. Hartwell picked up the win after throwing out Wendy Choo, who hit a Vader bomb on Fallon Henley, then pionned Henley after connecting with a forearm to the back of the head.
With their wins, Axiom will now head into the Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge with Carmelo Hayes, JD McDonagh, Grayson Waller, and Carmelo Hayes. Indi Hartwell joins Zoey Stark, Cora Jade, Kiana James, and Roxanne Perez.
Here is the updated lineup for Saturday’s NXT Deadline:
NXT Championship: Bron Breakker (c) vs. Apollo Crews
Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge match: Carmelo Hayes vs. JD McDonagh vs. Grayson Waller vs. Joe Gacy vs. Axiom
Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge match: Zoey Stark vs. Cora Jade vs. Kiana James vs. Roxanne Perez vs. Indi Hartwell
NXT Tag Team titles: Pretty Deadly vs. The New Day
