Thea Hail (w/ Andre Chase and Bodhi Hayward) defeated Brooklyn Barlow
Thea Hail was accompanied to the ring by the rest of Chase U. This was Barlow’s fourth-ever match on Level Up.
They traded some headlocks and pinning combos. The commentators, Sudu Shah and Nigel McGuinness, kept ensuring that we knew Barlow was a former strongman competitor.
Barlow showed off her strength for most of the match. Hail turned around an abdominal stretch into a side slam. This led to Hail hitting a standing moonsault and the Hail Yeah for the victory.
– After the match, Kelly Kincaid was backstage with Hank Walker. They discussed Walker’s upcoming main event match with Duke Hudson. Walker put Hudson over until he said Hudson was cocky and looked down on people. Walker quoted his grandpa, “If you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready.”
Bryson Montana defeated Ru Feng
Montana and Feng were each looking for their first victory as part of the NXT roster. In the promo art for the match, Montana looked cool wearing a Shield-type vest. He came to the ring in a suit and gloves and no shirt. I guess he felt he needed to dress up for this edition of Level Up.
Feng started out hot with some side headlocks. The crowd started a “Mortal Kombat” chant. Feng hit a body slam and a spinning heel kick for a two count.
Montana got the heat back with some stomps to Feng’s chest and some rest holds. Feng got back up and tried striking, but Montana hit a variation of the spinebuster called the Sky High to pick up the win.
Duke Hudson defeated Hank Walker
Walker made his way to the ring in the most basic country boy clothes of all time. McGuinness made a really funny joke about Walker’s appearance, comparing this match to seeing Bad Bunny or Logan Paul because we were seeing Seth Rogen in the ring.
They exchanged shoulder tackles to start the match. Walker eventually went for a body slam, but Hudson proved to be too heavy. Walker didn’t let up though, throwing Hudson into the corner and hitting a sidewalk slam for a two count.
Hudson got the heat with a missed elbow drop by Walker. He put the boots into Walker and hit a big elbow for another two count.
Hudson started using the farm boy’s hair to throw him around the ring. Walker responded by tugging on Hudson’s hair and driving him into the top turnbuckle. Walker hit a cool-looking body slam where he dragged Hudson up from the ground and sent him face-first into the mat. Walker tried to get the win with a vertical suplex, but Hudson landed on his feet and hit a big boot for the victory.
Final Thoughts —
This was an okay episode of NXT Level Up. The opener was solid. Thea Hail and Chase U continue their push as a faction while Brooklyn Barlow got some much-needed TV time.
The second matchup was mostly skippable, while the main event saw Hank Walker face off against his biggest opponent yet, Duke Hudson. Walker was over with the crowd, but he came out in the most basic outfit and had the most basic moves. It was only his second match on TV, so he’ll have a chance at more to come. Duke Hudson is also great at just being a heel.
