In the angle, Knight was being interviewed and vowed that there will be hell to pay for Grayson Waller. Gacy and Harland then walked up to Knight, with Gacy offering to help Knight grow and move on from his issues with Waller. Knight challenged Gacy and Harland to move on out to the ring with him tonight.
On NXT two weeks ago, it was revealed that Waller has filed a restraining order against Knight. Waller also recently introduced his new bodyguard Sanga (Saurav Gurjar).
Here’s the updated lineup for tonight’s NXT:
Bron Breakker & Tommaso Ciampa vs. Legado del Fantasma’s Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde
Diamond Mine (Roderick Strong, Julius Creed & Brutus Creed) vs. Imperium (Gunther, Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner)
This wasn’t anything special—just a brief, inconsequential heavyweight outing.
Kemp tried early for a takedown, with little success. Briggs landed a boot, multiple grounded strikes, and a splash before Kemp started to rally. A shoulder tackle left Kemp in control for the first time. Kemp tried to follow up by whipping Briggs into the corner, but Briggs bounced out, delivering a lariat. Briggs then pinned Kemp to close the opening match.
Valentina Feroz and Yulisa Leon defeated Amari Miller and Lash Legend
Not that this was great or anything, but there was effort put into this, so that’s something.
Feroz opened the match by landing kicks to the legs of Legend before tagging in Leon, who immediately lost control. Legend could not follow up. however, as Miller demanded a tag. She gained the lead, grounding her opponent before Legend tagged back into the match.
Legend regained the lead before tagging Miller back in, and the Miller/Legend pair worked in a successful tandem for the first time, isolating Feroz. This lasted until Legend refused to tag in, allowing Feroz to score a hot tag. Legend eventually tagged back into the match after it was clear Miller needed out.
Legend gained control over Leon, prompting Miller to tag herself back into the match, leading to a quibble between Miller and Legend. Leon then trapped Miller in a quick pin.
Joe Gacy defeated Draco Anthony
This match opened with a lot of back and forth before a distraction from Harland allowed Gacy to score a backdrop. Gacy controlled the match on the ground for some time.
After Anthony fought to his feet, he found great offensive success. Before he could finish Gacy, however, Gacy looked at him in a weird manner. This must have freaked out Anthony; he seemed flabbergasted. Gacy landed a lariat, leading to the pin.
Joe Gacy is getting a Cruiserweight title shot at NXT WarGames.
WWE has announced that Roderick Strong will defend his NXT Cruiserweight Championship against Gacy at NXT WarGames on Sunday, December 5. The show will air live on Peacock/WWE Network.
Gacy interrupted Strong and his Diamond Mine stablemates while Malcolm Bivens was cutting a promo on NXT last week. On tonight’s show, Gacy was set to face LA Knight until Knight was attacked by Grayson Waller. Gacy started to speak in the ring but was then confronted by Diamond Mine.
Bivens said Diamond Mine was going to steal the spotlight from Gacy like he did to them last week. Bivens wanted Gacy to get out of the ring so that Diamond Mine’s Ivy Nile could have her match, but Gacy refused.
Gacy, who plays a woke heel in NXT, said he has no respect for Strong. Gacy said Strong’s name alone is an example of toxic masculinity, and the NXT Cruiserweight Championship is an example of exclusivity and weight shaming. Gacy said the Cruiserweight division is meant to divide.
Strong told Bivens to make it so his next title defense would be against Gacy. Bivens announced that the match would be happening at WarGames.
Gacy thanked Bivens and said he looks forward to resolving this issue together as one. Bivens wanted Julius & Brutus Creed to attack Gacy, but he called them off after Gacy’s associate Harland appeared.
Strong won the NXT Cruiserweight Championship from Kushida this September.
Ahead of WarGames, “Joe Gacy’s all-inclusive invitational” will take place on NXT next Tuesday.
Here’s the updated card for NXT WarGames:
WarGames match: Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, Pete Dunne & LA Knight vs. Bron Breakker, Carmelo Hayes, Grayson Waller & Tony D’Angelo
WarGames match: Io Shirai, Raquel Gonzalez, Cora Jade & Kay Lee Ray vs. Mandy Rose, Gigi Dolin, Jacy Jayne & Dakota Kai
Hair vs. hair match: Cameron Grimes vs. Duke Hudson
NXT Cruiserweight Champion Roderick Strong defends against Joe Gacy
NXT Tag Team Champions Imperium (Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner) defend against either Kyle O’Reilly & Von Wagner or Legado del Fantasma’s Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde (O’Reilly & Wagner will face Mendoza & Wilde in a number one contender’s match on NXT next Tuesday)
Today marks the first 205 Live taping to air following the batch of recent talent cuts. It also follows the announcement of 205 Live’s welcoming of those over 205 pounds, which WWE finally mentioned after months of its happening. And perhaps even more interestingly, this is the first episode of 205 Live to run directly against AEW’s new show, Rampage.
Grayson Waller defeated Ikeman Jiro
To preface my praise for this match, I was more than disinterested heading in. This was an excellent, detail-oriented match.
Jiro gained some early momentum with offence that a prepared Waller cut off. Waller slowed the match to a crawl, connecting with move after move, each of which was interrupted by pauses. Waller tried to end the match with a pin accompanied by a handful of tights. The referee interrupted the illegal pin providing Jiro with some much-needed space.
Jiro connected with two dives after resulting in a near fall. Jiro tried for the Ikeman slash, a move Waller avoided by rolling to the outside. Waller re-entered the ring in a hurry to further interrupt Jiro with a cutter resulting in a fully convincing near fall.
Following another back and forth, Jiro connected with a beautiful hammerlock powerslam. Waller was able to kick out of the move and gain enough separation to land a curb stomp. He followed the stomp with a pin to close an excellent match.
Josh Briggs defeated Joe Gacy
This was a fun match that is entirely different from what one is used to seeing on 205 Live. Two big men were hitting each other with big men wrestling moves; it’s easy to like.
To kick off the “new” era of 205 Live, these heavyweights opened with a showcase of power. Splashes and strikes filled the opening minutes as Briggs used his weight entirely to his advantage. Gacy’s rally also featured the use of his power. Both men traded power moves and intense strikes deep into the match. It was a proper hoss fight. A colossal lariat closed the match in favour of Briggs.
Why 205 Live doesn’t pivot to a name that makes marginal sense is beyond me. WWE owns such an expansive library of already established brands that this shouldn’t be a challenge. This should be called Velocity, Heat, or anything other than 205 Live, as the show is neither live nor featuring those under 205 lbs.
Also, against Rampage, it makes no sense to watch this show live. Even if the matches are good at times, it’s wholly uneventful and entirely forgettable.
This week’s 205 Live will be headlined by two wrestlers over the show’s 205-pound weight limit.
WWE has announced that Joe Gacy vs. Josh Briggs will be the main event of this Friday’s episode of 205 Live. They’ve each wrestled on 205 Live once before, appearing on the show in the lead-up to the NXT Breakout Tournament.
Gacy and Briggs both lost in the first round of the Breakout Tournament. Gacy lost to Trey Baxter, while Briggs lost to Carmelo Hayes.
“The purple brand will now occasionally play host to matches where one or multiple Superstars eclipse the 205-pound weight limit, setting the stage for a colossal main event between Gacy and Briggs,” WWE wrote.
205 Live has previously featured matches with wrestlers over 205 pounds during NXT tournaments or for matches tying in with the tournaments.
Ikemen Jiro vs. Grayson Waller is the other match that will air on this Friday’s 205 Live. Both Jiro and Waller are cruiserweights. Jiro also took part in the NXT Breakout Tournament. He lost to Duke Hudson in the first round.
Ari Sterling and Leon Ruff, who both wrestled on 205 Live last week, were released by WWE as part of last Friday’s NXT roster cuts. Jake Atlas and Asher Hale had also been featured on 205 Live but were released last Friday.
2021 NXT Breakout Tournament qualifier: Andre Chase defeated Guru Raaj
Looking back mere moments later, I can barely remember this match. It wasn’t awful, but it was utterly forgettable.
The match opened with back and forth grappling control. Finally, Raaj connected with a monkey flip before trying for multiple quick pins, ending the opening flow. Chase knocked Raaj into the rope, connecting with numerous strikes in the following moments. Chase took the match to the mat, slowly trying to choke Raaj out.
Raaj fought to a standing position before hitting a back-body-drop. Raaj connected with significant strikes before an awkward dodge (at least I think it was a dodge) allowed Chase to steal control back rather quickly. Chase then hoisted Raaj up and dropped him with a stalling brainbuster for the win.
2021 NXT Breakout Tournament qualifier: Joe Gacy defeated Desmond Troy
If either of these men are within a stone of 205 pounds, I’d be shocked; these are some big men. Weight aside, these two put on a fantastic match filled with high-quality ring work. Troy’s amateur background shined throughout tonight’s outing, and Gacy offered a perfect contrast.
This match opened with Troy quickly dropping Gacy with a suplex, triggering a quick exchange on the mat. Troy shot with a blisteringly quick double-leg takedown as soon as Gacy was back on his feet.
Gacy was able to interrupt a shoulder tackle, opening Troy up for offence for the first time. A variety of power moves and two big suplexes yielded a Gacy near fall. Troy collapsed after being slammed repeatedly into the turnbuckles, causing Gacy to crash into them in a very cool moment. Troy managed to make it to his feet first, leaving him with proper match control. The offence that followed was filled with beautiful suplexes.
After receiving a gut-wrench suplex trifecta, Gacy fought free from Troy’s control, connecting with a short strike, uranage, and suplex to close the contest.
The 2021 NXT Breakout Tournament has its first two participants.
Andre Chase (Harlem Bravado) and Joe Gacy are set for the Breakout Tournament after winning qualifying matches on tonight’s episode of 205 Live. Chase and Gacy were both making their WWE debuts on tonight’s show.
Chase defeated Guru Raaj in his qualifying match, while Gacy defeated Desmond Troy.
Chase and Gacy both formerly wrestled for EVOLVE. Chase was part of the group of signees that joined the WWE Performance Center this February. Gacy was announced as signing with WWE last October.
Breakout Tournament qualifying matches will continue on next week’s 205 Live. The tournament will feature eight wrestlers, with the winner getting a shot at the NXT title of their choosing. The tournament will begin on the Tuesday, July 13 episode of NXT.
This is the second-ever NXT Breakout Tournament. The inaugural tournament took place in 2019 and was won by Jordan Myles (ACH). It also featured Cameron Grimes, Bronson Reed, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Dexter Lumis, Joaquin Wilde, Angel Garza, and Boa.
A pair of matches with NXT Breakout Tournament implications will take place on this week’s episode of 205 Live.
WWE has announced that two Breakout Tournament qualifying matches will air on 205 Live this Friday night. The qualifying matches are: Guru Raaj vs. Andre Chase (Harlem Bravado) and Desmond Troy vs. Joe Gacy.
“Just as it did during the Men’s and Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classics, 205 Live will make an exception to its typical 205-pound weight limit, and the prestigious NXT Breakout Tournament will instead take center stage,” WWE wrote.
Raaj wrestled at WWE Superstar Spectacle earlier this year and lost to Finn Balor. The event featured wrestlers from Raw, SmackDown, and NXT and spotlighted WWE’s Indian talent.
Chase and Gacy both formerly wrestled for EVOLVE and are making their WWE debuts in their qualifying matches. Troy (Denzel Dejournette) joined the WWE Performance Center in 2018 after having been an All-American amateur wrestler at Appalachian State University. Last year, he made appearances where he lost matches on NXT, Raw, SmackDown, and Main Event.
It was announced on this Tuesday’s NXT that the Breakout Tournament would be making its return. It will feature eight participants, with the winner getting a shot at the NXT title of their choosing. The tournament will begin on the Tuesday, July 13 episode of NXT.
The inaugural NXT Breakout Tournament took place in 2019 and was won by Jordan Myles (ACH). Cameron Grimes, Bronson Reed, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Dexter Lumis, Joaquin Wilde, Angel Garza, and Boa also took part in the tournament.
WWE has officially announced its latest group of signees.
The newest group of WWE Performance Center recruits was revealed today and mostly consists of former members of the EVOLVE Wrestling roster, with Brandi Lauren, Curt Stallion, Anthony Greene, Leon Ruff, Joe Gacy, Josh Briggs, and referee Jake Clemons signing with WWE and joining the Performance Center.
It was confirmed this July that WWE had purchased EVOLVE Wrestling. Some past content from EVOLVE started to be uploaded to the WWE Network in August.
Jacob Kasper, a former All-American collegiate wrestler at Duke University, has also signed with WWE and is part of this class of Performance Center recruits. Kasper was recruited by Gerald Brisco. After being furloughed in April’s roster cuts, Brisco was released by WWE last month.
WWE’s full announcement regarding the new recruits is available below:
A new class of recruits has reported for training at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla. The group can count among their ranks independent wrestling standouts and an NCAA All-American wrestler.
Brandi Pawelek, known on the independents as Brandi Lauren, is an exciting competitor who has stepped in the ring for promotions like EVOLVE and SHINE.
Camron Rogers is a 6-foot-1 Texan who competes under the name Curt Stallion. Rogers broke out in 2019 in EVOLVE Wrestling, where he battled the likes of SmackDown Superstar Matt Riddle and NXT Superstars Cameron Grimes, Dexter Lumis and Mansoor.
Anthony Greene is a flamboyant Massachusetts native and standout grappler from EVOLVE Wrestling. The 26-year-old stood toe-to-toe with NXT Tag Team Champion Tyler Breeze in EVOLVE, as well as many of his fellow recruits from this class.
Dartanyon Ruffin, better known as Leon Ruff, is a former EVOLVE Tag Team Champion. The energetic 24-year-old has competed on Raw, SmackDown, NXT and 205 Live in recent months, going up against the likes of Sheamus, Aleister Black, Tommaso Ciampa and Legado del Fantasma.
Joseph Ruby is a 6-foot, 249-pound powerhouse from New Jersey. Competing as Joe Gacy, he’s a former three-time Combat Zone Wrestling Heavyweight Champion and EVOLVE Tag Team Champion.
Joshua Bruns is an imposing figure, standing 6-foot-8 and weighing 268 pounds. As Josh Briggs, he’s been the EVOLVE Champion and battled the likes of NXT United Kingdom Champion WALTER, Matt Riddle, John Morrison and Raw Tag Team Champion Angelo Dawkins.
Jacob Kasper is a 25-year-old amateur wrestling standout from Lexington, Ohio. Kasper wrestled at Duke University, where he was a two-time NCAA All-American and won the 2018 ACC heavyweight championship. He also placed in the 2016 Olympic trials.
Jake Clemons of Ohio is a referee who has officiated matches on Monday Night Raw, as well as for promotions like EVOLVE and AIW.
For more information on the WWE Performance Center, visit WWEPerformanceCenter.com.
EVOLVE Wrestling has revealed both of Ricochet’s matches for next month’s shows.
Ricochet is returning to EVOLVE for events on Friday, March 15 and Saturday, March 16. He’ll be facing Orange Cassidy at EVOLVE 123 in Melrose, Massachusetts on March 15. At EVOLVE 124 in Queens, New York the next night, Ricochet will team with EVOLVE Tag Team Champions The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) in a six-man tag match against Eddie Kingston, Shane Strickland & Joe Gacy.
EVOLVE 123 will take place at Melrose Memorial Hall, while La Boom is hosting EVOLVE 124.
EVOLVE did a Twitter poll to decide Ricochet’s opponent for the Melrose show, with Cassidy getting support from fans and fellow wrestlers. Cassidy won with 61 percent of the vote. Strickland finished second with 28 percent, and AR Fox came in third with 11 percent.
Kingston, Strickland, Gacy, and Colby Corino formed a stable in EVOLVE this past weekend. They attacked WWN Champion JD Drake and The Street Profits, and the storyline is that they’re banding together after they were all once not welcome in EVOLVE.
Ricochet made his WWE main roster debut on last night’s Raw, teaming with Finn Balor to defeat Bobby Lashley & Lio Rush.
