The new issue of the Observer is an in-depth story on the fall of Vince McMahon. We go through all aspects of the story and have reactions from many people on subjects not talked about including feelings of different wrestlers, how this departure was different from the first McMahon departure, John Laurinaitis, Brock Lesnar, Stephanie McMahon, Ari Emanuel, Paul Levesque, Ann Callis and why she may end up a major figure in wrestling and this story going forward and much more. It’s a timeline in detail and what the timeline opens up.
The John Laurinaitis story
More questions on Ari Emanuel’s decision
Paul Levesque’s performance
Shawn Michaels reaction
Reaction from several in the business
Why Vince McMahon apparently stopped payments
Who is Ann Callis and why is she so important to this story
The insurance angle
The original investigation
The timeline of Stephanie McMahon
The various allegations and settlements
Members of the board leaving
Vince’s power play to return
Dwayne Johnson and Pat McAfee
Vince’s background
Full Royal Rumble coverage
Rumble surprises and debuts
WrestleMania original lineup and what is changing
Rumble records
Business numbers
Rock vs. Roman update
The most detailed look at the ratings over the past week
New streaming channel for a promotion that is getting criticized due to price
Okada and Mercedes updates
Anniversary show for one of the most important cultural matches in history
Top matches of 2023
TNA PPV update
AEW valuation
Upcoming ticket sales for the major WWE & AEW shows
International TV ratings and streaming numbers
Update on MJF
Which company has the highest current injury rate, AEW or WWE?
Jericho Cruise notes
Conor McGregor update
TV announcer talks his frustrations with social media
Documentary on MAX about a UFC fighter about to be released
Bryan and I will be doing a show after NXT Vengeance Day tonight talking the latest news on Vince McMahon and the other major stories and shows from the weekend.
Whatever it was at first, the Cody Rhodes situation is now an angle with Logan Paul and Ricochet both tweeting about it using the hashtag. Literally not one wrestler on the roster tweets a thing about Vince McMahon, who isn’t even with the company, but people are going to tweet negatively about “WWE booking?” Obviously the idea is to recreate the Daniel Bryan situation at this point. As far as what they can or will do, there are so many different possibilities it’s endless. Brian Gewirtz tweeted “You all have no idea.”
Interestingly the secondary market get-in price for day two of Mania was $293 before Smackdown started on Friday and it was $243 at this writing.
Vengeance Day at 8 p.m. Eastern on Peacock
Carmelo Hayes & Trick Williams vs. Bron Breakker & Baron Corbin in the Dusty Rhodes tournament final
Dijak vs. Joe Gacy no DQ
Lyra Valkyria vs. Roxanne Perez for the NXT women’s title
Oba Femi vs Dragon Lee for the North American title
Tony D’Angelo & Stacks Lorenzo & Adriana Rizzo vs. Bronco Nima & Lucien Price & Jaida Parker
Ilja Dragunov vs. Williams for the NXT title
On paper it doesn’t look like one of the better NXT shows but the Williams matches should be good and Dijak vs. Gacy could be a surprise. The show is from Clarksville, TN. They had 3,600 tickets out as of earlier today.
We’re looking for your thoughts on the show so you can leave a thumbs up, down or middle, along with a best and worst match to [email protected]
PWInsider reported that Thea Hail, Riley Osborne, Jacy Jayne and Tatum Paxley traveled to the show. The first three would be involved with something Chase U related and Paxley would be predicted to get involved in the Valkyria vs. Perez match.
We’re also looking for reports from the WWE show tonight in Corbin, KY, results, finishes and highlights to [email protected]
Nothing this week, not new items relating to Vince McMahon nor anything related to Dwayne Johnson doing WrestleMania cracked the Google top 20s this week. Nor did anything related to yesterday’s UFC show. Joe Rogan was No. 16 Saturday regarding his signing a new contract with Spotify with 20,000 searches. The death of Carl Weathers on Friday was No. for the day with 2 million searches.
The movie “Argyle,” where John Cena is one of the stars, was No. 1 at the movie box office this weekend with a predicted total of $18 million. Nothing was close. Iron Claw has largely disappeared from theaters. Apple Original Films paid $200 million for the rights so this number was viewed very poorly.
WWE house show last night in Knoxville, TN:
LA Knight b Jimmy Uso after the BFT
AJ Styles b Austin Theory with the forearm
Shayna Baszler & Zoey Stark b Ivy Nile & Maxxine Dupri when Baszler choked out Dupri
Omos b Akira Tozawa in the same match they always do
Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa b Giovanni Vinci & Ludvig Kaiser when Gargano pinned Kaiser
Bianca Belair & Shotzi & Zelina Vega b Iyo Sky & Asuka & Kair Sane when Belair pinned Asuka with the KOD. Belair grew up in Knoxville so got a huge reaction.
Ricochet b Jinder Mahal with a shooting star press
Gunther b Chad Gable to retain the IC title
Cody Rhodes b Shinsuke Nakamura in a street fight with Cross Rhodes. Rhodes did a promo after the show. He never mentioned Rock or Roman Reigns, just gave away a piece of the table broken and asked fans to please come back the next time they were in town. Backstage they shot an angle where Nakamura attacked Rhodes.
They did show clips before the show started from Smackdown and Rock was booed heavily in the clips.
Matches I’m told that are worth going out of your way to see this weekend are Hazuki vs. Mei Seira for the High Speed title on today’s Stardom show and the Gabe Kidd vs. Henare match from today’s New Japan show. Was also told the Will Ospreay-Michael Oku face-to-face today to build their 2/28 match was incredible. Said that Amira was awesome as well. Trent Seven vs. Conor Mills from that show was also great. (thanks to Doug Hunt and many others)
El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. beat Kenoh today to win the GHC title. In the history of Japanese wrestling, no Mexican had ever won a world heavyweight title for a major Japanese company until Luis Mante just recently won the Dragon Gate Open the Dream Gate belt. Now we’ve got two.
Jeff Cobb was off today’s New Japan show where he was to face Alex Coughlin. He has a thigh injury. It’s serious enough to miss a show but he is hopeful of being able to be in the United Empire vs. Bullet Club War Dogs cage match this coming Sunday in Osaka.
Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney regained the IWGP Jr. tag titles from TJP & Francesco Akira on today’s Korakuen Hall show with the Kidd vs. Henar match. Moloney worked the show with a torn biceps he suffered two days ago.
Nikki Garcia (Bella) will be live at the Grammys after party.
Dorrell Dixon, one of the all-time legends of Lucha Libre who was also an early 60s star in the U.S. as a rival of world champion Buddy Rogers, celebrated his 90th birthday earlier this week. Wikipedia may have his date of birth wrong.
Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including more on Vince McMahon and Janel Grant, Shawn Michaels’ reaction when asked at the NXT press conference, Vengeance Day line-up, thoughts on Dynamite and who should win the Sting & Darby title match next week, and more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Shawn Michaels went through what he called his toughest media call yet Thursday, answering questions about safety of those that work at the WWE Performance Center in the wake of the Vince McMahon lawsuit in addition to addressing past allegations made about himself.
The full audio can be heard below.
When asked about past allegations that Brutus Beefcake made about himself and Marty Jannetty, Michaels flatly denied them and said Beefcake himself walked those comments back in the past. He said he has made his mistakes in the past, but never did anything that wasn’t consensual, adding those who engage in that behavior typically have issues with power and women which he never experienced.
While never directly asked about his thoughts about the Vince McMahon lawsuit allegations from last week, Michaels was asked several times about the safety protocols and environment at the Performance Center/NXT. He reiterated that they try to foster an open environment and welcome communication from talent.
Asked if staff has had conversations with talents about the McMahon situation, Michaels said everyone is aware. He takes working with young talent seriously in all aspects of the business, and wants them to tell the truth. He said everyone is excited about the future despite the situation and that, “The windows have opened up and everyone is ready to move forward.”
When asked about what policies were specifically updated in 2022 to help make a safer environment, he couldn’t recall them, but said they they didn’t need to refer to a piece of paper to ensure the goal of making the PC a safe environment for everyone — even extending to those like his daughter who visits every week.
Michaels said transparency and openness has changed everything with how they train people at NXT. He said treating people with love and respect isn’t that hard to do, and wants to keep fostering that environment.
Some other notes from the call which you can hear in full below:
Asked about TNA’s Jordynne Grace appearing in the women’s Rumble match, he said it’s a different era now where things that weren’t allowed in the past are possible. He joked that Paul Levesque gets to do those on the main roster and that he’s questioned why that hasn’t happened in NXT yet. He would love the opportunity to bring experienced talent in from outside groups to work with NXT wrestlers.
Asked about William Regal returning to TV, Michaels said everyone was extremely excited about his brief cameo and he has no doubt there will be more of those in the future.
He talked about the pride in seeing talents like Bron Breakker, Tiffany Stratton and Carmelo Hayes in the Royal Rumble matches and that if felt like they belonged.
Michaels said they don’t have to work hard to find spots for women on NXT shows because there are so many talented athletes that bring it week after week. He heavily credited Sara Amato for the work she’s done and that said she’s the best-kept secret in the business
WWE is bringing an NXT premium live event to Tennessee in February 2024.
The company has announced that NXT Vengeance Day 2024 will take place from F&M Bank Arena in Clarksville on Sunday, February 4. The show will air live on Peacock in the United States and WWE Network everywhere else.
Vengeance Day tickets are going on sale at 10 a.m. Central time on Friday, December 8.
A press release issued by WWE advertised NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov, NXT Women’s Champion Lyra Valkyria, NXT Tag Team Champions Tony D’Angelo & Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo, Carmelo Hayes, Trick Williams, Roxanne Perez, and Tiffany Stratton for the event.
Vengeance Day has taken place every year since debuting in 2021. The show was an NXT PLE in both 2021 and 2023. In 2022, the show was a special episode of NXT television.
Vengeance Day will be the first NXT PLE of 2024.
There’s still one NXT PLE set to take place before the end of this year. NXT Deadline is being held at Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut on Saturday, December 9.
Dragon Lee’s WWE NXT debut has been impacted by visa issues.
The 27-year-old has been earmarked for NXT since announcing he signed with the company in December. Lee’s situation was addressed by our own Dave Meltzer on Saturday’s Wrestling Observer Radio.
Meltzer said:
I’m sure they wanted to introduce Dragon Lee [at NXT Vengeance Day} but he’s having visa issues so he’s not there yet.
Lee’s three-year contract with WWE is said to be for “above the standard NXT-level money.” He will receive a new contract if he is called up to the main roster, with the plan being for this to happen in 2024. The bottom number for WWE main roster contracts is $250,000.
Meltzer also addressed reports that NXT stars will begin working independent shows. He noted that while Shawn Michaels stated on a media call that Ivy Nile working a Reality of Wrestling event is a “one-time thing,” the promotion believes NXT stars will be available to them periodically.
Meltzer said:
From what I understand, as far as the Reality of Wrestling goes, they expect that they will be able to get some NXT stars from time to time.
There are several other companies that have been talked to with the idea that they may be able to get NXT stars but the Booker T thing has to go well. And if it goes well there are other companies. And I think that they’re targeting companies that have a good relationship with AEW and see what they can do, that’s part of it, of course, too.
Dave Meltzer and I are back on Wrestling Observer Radio. Mary Fries, daughter of Pampero Firpo, joined in the first segment to talk about her friend Lanny Poffo.
Then, Dave and I went over the shows and news of the day. We discussed:
Fedor’s last fight
The broadcast and the future of Showtime/Bellator
NXT working with independents
Multiple big shows in Japan
The Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn angle from SmackDown
NXT Vengeance Day
AEW Rampage highlights
SmackDown highlights
The video version of this show is available for video subscribers at video.f4wonline.com.
NXT heads to Charlotte, North Carolina tonight for its first streaming special of 2023.
The NXT Championship will be on the line as Bron Breakker and Grayson Waller face off inside of a steel cage. The steel cage stipulation was announced after Breakker and Waller’s previous title bout ended in a countout. Waller lost that match after the ropes broke on him.
Roxanne Perez will look to remain NXT Women’s Champion as she defends against both members of Toxic Attraction in a triple threat match. Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne simultaneously won a battle royal to become the number one contenders to Perez’s title.
The New Day’s NXT Tag Team titles will be up for grabs as they defend against Pretty Deadly, Gallus, and Chase U in a fatal four-way match. Wes Lee defends the NXT North American Championship against Dijak. And Fallon Henley & Kiana James challenge Katana Chance & Kayden Carter for the NXT Women’s Tag Team titles.
Plus, Apollo Crews takes on Carmelo Hayes in a two-out-of-three falls match.
Vengeance Day streams live on Peacock/WWE Network starting at 8 p.m. Eastern time tonight. There will also be a pre-show leading into the event.
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Pre-Show
– It was announced that the Steel Cage match for the NXT Championship can only be won by pinfall or submission in the ring. I’m a fan of the change.
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Main Card
– The show begins with a video package of Charlotte Flair hyping up the matches on the show, with all the people walking down a runway-type set. Because they’re in Charlotte, North Carolina, you see.
NXT North American Title Match: Wes Lee defeated Dijak to retain
An excellent, action-packed opener. A great way to kick off the show.
Dijak had a Sin City-style entrance. I wonder if Karrion Kross is upset at someone stealing his black-and-white motif. Dijak used his size advantage to knock Lee down with shoulder blocks. Lee feigned laying down for Dijak before booting him in the face. Dijak powered out of a German suplex attempt, but Lee came back with a springboard rana that sent Dijak to the floor. Dijak caught Lee on a dive and dumped him on the floor with a Death Valley Driver.
Dijak clubbered on Lee in the ring before sending him across the ring with a suplex for two. Dijak drove Lee down into his knee before flinging him over the top rope to the floor. Dijak brought Lee back into the ring, but only got a nearfall on a pin attempt. More clubbering from Dijak in the corner. Lee ducked a corner charge, sending Dijak over the top rope to the floor. Dijak got back in the ring, where Lee peppered him with shots before dropping him with a basement dropkick. A second attempt at a German was blocked, but a thrust kick helped Lee get Dijak up for the German for a nearfall.
Dijak and Lee ended up on the apron, where Lee sent Dijak on the apron with a backdrop. Lee hit a spinning Space Flying Tiger Drop to massive NXT chants. Lee went for his springboard kick, but was caught in Feast Your Eyes position. Lee reversed it into a poisonrana, then followed it with a Michinoku Driver for two.
Dijak avoided a 450 and caught Lee on a springboard, hitting a massive chokeslam for two. Dijak locked on a modified Crossface Chickenwing. Lee tried to roll out, but Dijak held on and got the hooks in. Lee almost faded but fought back to his feet. Dijak brought him into Feast Your Eyes position, but Lee reversed it into a rollup for two. Lee hit some big strikes, but Dijak took him down with a big boot for two. Dijak hit a superkick and a lariat for another nearfall. Somewhere in this madness, we got a closeup shot of Dijak’s gnarly dislocated finger.
Dijak brought Lee to the top rope for a powerbomb, but Lee reversed it into a rana that dropped Dijak on his head. Lee hit a Spiral Tap for an incredibly close nearfall. Lee went for a suicide dive, but Dijak threw him into the barricade. Dijak put Lee in a rolling chair at ringside and restrained him to it with a broom. Dijak went up to the top and hit a moonsault, but it was on Tony D’Angelo and Stacks, who had pushed Lee out of the way. Dijak got superkicked out of the air by Lee, who followed it with the handspring Pele Kick to win and retain the title.
– McKenzie Mitchell interviewed Kayden Carter and Katana Chance. They said nothing of note.
NXT Women’s Tag Team Title Match: Fallon Henley & Kiana James (w/ Brooks Jensen & Josh Briggs) defeated Katana Chance & Kayden Carter to win the titles
There were a lot of spots here, but nothing connecting them together. It was impressive athletically, but as a match, it wasn’t anything special.
Carter and James started. After some frivolity with Jensen at ringside, Carter and Chance laid out James with a double-team move. James and Henley had some miscommunication but were able to drop the champions with dual clotheslines. Carter and Chance hit a double-team move on Henley, but James tagged in and dropped Chance with a backbreaker.
Henley tagged in and hit a hairmare for a nearfall. Henley worked over Chance for a while before Carter snuck in a tag. Carter ran wild, dropping Henley with a dropkick in the ropes. Carter boosted Chance over her head to hit a crossbody on both challengers. James tagged in but got caught with a Carter-assisted rana from Chance. James cut her off with a spinebuster for a nearfall. James got her knees up on a double-team moonsault before tagging Henley in. Henley and James hit an assisted Michinoku Driver for a nearfall.
Carter took James out with a dive to the floor. Henley got caught in the champions corner, where Chance hit a super Frankensteiner off of Carter’s shoulders for two. The champions went for their finisher, but James shoved Chance off of the top rope to the floor. Henley rolled up Carter, and with James holding Carter’s feet down from outside the ring, got the three count to win the titles.
– At the Vengeance Day watch party, Drew Gulak and Hank Walker talked about the show. Gulak wanted Walker to get actual wrestling gear now that he’s, you know, a wrestler.
– Lyra Valkyria cut a promo on Cora Jade. She says that Jade is two-faced, since Jade called her out for a match on NXT, then backed out of it. She issued an open challenge for NXT this Tuesday.
Two Out of Three Falls: Carmelo Hayes (w/ Trick Williams) defeated Apollo Crews 2-0
This was so disappointing. The match never got out of first gear, and the crowd never really got into it. It was a long match that only peaked at OK.
Williams gave Hayes a special introduction, listing all of his accomplishments in NXT so far. Crews also got a special entrance, running through his WWE career up to this point. They’re giving this one a real big-match feeling here.
The men chain wrestle to a stalemate to start. Hayes cut off a back-and-forth with a slap, but Crews knocked him down with his own slap. Both men countered each other’s dropkick attempts before Crews dropkicked Hayes out of the air on a springboard. Crews sent Hayes hard into the buckles sternum first. A backbreaker from Crews led to a German suplex attempt, but Hayes cut him off. Crews caught Hayes on a springboard and got his German suplex.
Hayes and Crews both went for dives to the floor, ending with Crews dropping Hayes with a clothesline on the floor. Crews hit a moonsault off the apron to Hayes on the floor. Back in the ring, a delayed vertical suplex got a nearfall for Crews. Hayes countered a corner charge from Crews, sending him over the ropes and catching him with a stunner on the way down. Williams has a chair on the floor, but he’s only menacing Crews with it at the moment.
Hayes clubbered on Crews before getting two on a cover. Hayes worked over Crews before hitting him with a hotshot over the ropes for a nearfall. Crews fought back before Hayes dropped him with a short-arm clothesline. Hayes talked trash, but Crews hit a pair of Germans and a big back body drop. Crews fired up, laying Hayes out with clotheslines and a big splash. Hayes cut him off for a moment, but Crews caught him on the apron with a big kick to the face. Crews powered Hayes into the ring with a superplex for a nearfall.
Williams is at ringside praying for a comeback from Hayes, and his prayer got answered when Hayes hit a La Mistica for a nearfall. An elevated cutter got two before Hayes locked in a Crossface. Crews tapped out, giving Hayes the first fall.
They trade shots to start the second fall. Crews popped off a trio of Germans before hitting a standing shooting star press for a nearfall. Hayes cut Crews off on the top rope, hitting the Fadeaway leg drop for a nearfall. Crews rebounded with a Destroyer-style DDT for two. Both men got up to the top rope before they knocked each other to the floor. Hayes shoved Crews down to try and win by countout, but Crews beat the count. Crews caught Hayes with a jumping knee and an Angle Slam. Hayes hit a codebreaker before Crews came back with a pop-up Death Valley Driver.
Williams got himself involved by taking a turnbuckle pad off of one corner and letting Hayes know about it. Crews fired up and sent Hayes into the buckle himself. Williams tried using a chair before Dabba Kato, Crews’ former heater, took him out of the equation. Somehow, Hayes got the advantage out of this and hit the diving leg drop to win in two straight falls.
After the match, Dabba Kato laid out Crews with a chokebomb on a chair. Why try to help him win the match then? I guess we’ll find out soon enough.
– Valentina Feroz accepted Lyra Valkyria’s challenge for NXT this week.
– The new NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Kiana James and Fallon Henley celebrated their win with Jensen and Briggs.
– NXT Stand and Deliver was announced for Saturday, April 1st.
NXT Tag Team Title Match: Gallus defeated The New Day, Pretty Deadly, & Chase U to win the titles
This was fun and chaotic, as to be expected in these multi-man matches. Gallus winning was a shocker as they aren’t what you would call, over. But they performed well here, as did all eight men in the match.
Two legal men at a time in this one, as Kingston started with Prince. Woods blind-tagged in and chopped Prince down before sending him to the floor. Wilson ended up on Prince’s shoulders, leading to Kingston dropkicking Prince. Thea Hail shouted them both down, leading to a Woods dropkick on both men.
Chase U tagged in, laying out Woods with a double team. Gallus got in and worked over Wilson, who had tagged in earlier. To save myself some typing, there’s been a lot of quick tags between teams. Eventually, Pretty Deadly isolated Woods in their corner of the ring. After a few minutes, Kingston got the hot tag and ran wild on Pretty Deadly. He hit a Boom Drop on them and an interfering Coffey. Kingston hit an SOS on Wilson for a nearfall.
A big strike train left Pretty Deadly alone with Kingston. They hit a tag team gutbuster for a nearfall. Kingston fought them off before tagging Woods in. New Day hit their finisher before everyone else broke up that pin attempt. A brawl broke out on the floor as Kingston and Chase fought on the top rope. Chase sent Kingston into the pile off the top rope. Wilson cut Chase off, but Chase got the upper hand and superplexed him into everyone else on the floor.
Gallus tried to put Chase through the table, but Hudson saved his partner and fought them off. Pretty Deadly cut him off and tried to suplex him through the table, but Hudson fought them off. Pretty Deadly sent him into the ring before putting the table cover back on the table to big heat. Hudson fired up and took out Pretty Deadly, but Gallus got their hands on Hudson and sent him through the announce table.
Gallus isolated the hometown hero Chase, but Chase was able to get Wolfgang out of the equation and hit the Chase U stomps on Coffey. A crossbody off the top rope got a nearfall. Chase locked on a Figure Four in the center of the ring, but Wolfgang hit a Swanton to cut him off. The tag team powerslam from Gallus only got two. Kingston cut off another tag move, but Pretty Deadly caught him on a dive and hit Spilled Milk on the floor. Woods got isolated by Gallus, who hit their tag team powerslam for the win and the titles.
NXT Women’s Title: Roxanne Perez defeated Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne to retain
This was a standard issue WWE triple-threat match. The crowd was into it though, and the women worked hard.
Dolin and Jayne came out together. They double-teamed Perez to start off. Perez fought them off momentarily, but Jayne cut her off by sending her into the ropes. A miscommunication gave Perez an opening to hit a double lucha armdrag before hitting Dolin with a dive to the floor. Jayne took Dolin out with a cannonball, which allowed Perez to get Jayne by herself.
Perez locked Jayne in a crossface, but Jayne got out and laid in some heavy strikes for a nearfall. Dolin yanked Jayne out of the ring and the two argued. Dolin tried to bargain a truce, but yanked Jayne in the way of a Perez dropkick. Dolin took control by sending Perez into the barricade. An STO into the apron and a side suplex got Dolin a nearfall that got broken up by Jayne. The two started fighting each other, which allowed Perez to hit a crossbody onto both of them.
Perez ran wild on both women, dropping them with a legsweep/DDT combination for a nearfall on both of them. Jayne caught Perez and tied her in the tree of woe on top of Dolin. She hit a cannonball on both women, then followed it with a running knee to Perez. Dolin broke up the cover, and the two teammates brawled with Jayne getting the better of it. Perez got Pop Rocks countered by Dolin into an STO. Dolin hit a suplex with a bridge before Jayne broke it up.
Dueling chants for Dolin and Perez as all three traded shots. Dolin and Jayne superkicked Perez, then headbutted each other for a double nearfall. Dolin and Jayne sent Perez to the floor and pulled out a table. Perez fought out, hitting Pop Rocks to Dolin on the floor. Jayne and Perez ended up on the top rope. Dolin tried getting involved, but Perez booted her through the table. Perez hit Jayne with Pop Rocks off of the top rope to win and retain the title.
NXT Title Steel Cage Match: Bron Breakker defeated Grayson Waller
I never understood why this match was a cage match, and in the end, it didn’t really need to be. This match never got out of the first gear, as is commonplace for Breakker’s main events. The crowd wasn’t into this one, and it never felt like Waller had a chance to win. A main event that left me feeling empty.
This match can only end by pinfall or submission in the ring. Waller came out with a train of beautiful women and a “golden shoey,” a shoe that he planned to have a celebratory drink out of when he won in traditional Australian fashion. Waller jumped Breakker before he got in the cage. Waller dodged a Breakker spear, but Breakker stopped short of the barricade and clotheslined a prematurely celebrating Waller. Breakker sent the door into Waller’s face before getting them both in the ring.
Breakker ran wild, bouncing off the ropes and the cage before dropping Waller with a big clothesline. Breakker hit a delayed vertical suplex before hitting a standing moonsault. Waller got out of a powerslam and played keep-away before landing a satellite DDT for a nearfall. Waller worked over Breakker, but Breakker caught him with a belly-to-belly suplex. Breakker hit Waller with another powerslam before hitting the top rope bulldog.
Breakker went to wrap things up with a spear, but Waller rolled to the apron. Waller dodged a Breakker spear, sending Breakker into the cage head first. Waller laid in punches before sending Breakker into the cage again for a nearfall. Waller hit a crossbody on Breakker against the cage, but Breakker caught him on a second attempt. Waller fought out and sent Breakker into the cage before hitting a diving Unprettier for a nearfall.
Waller went to the top rope, but Breakker followed him up and hit a top rope Frankensteiner for a nearfall. Breakker came off the top rope, but Waller caught him with a jumping knee. Waller hit the crossover elbow off the top, but only got two. Waller tangled Breakker in the ropes Andre The Giant-style and laid in the shots to Breakker.
Waller tackled Breakker twice, but Breaker fired up and untangled himself before pinballing Waller all over the cage. Breakker press-slammed Waller into the cage and set up for the spear, but Waller avoided it and hit a low blow. Waller hit his rolling Stunner but only got a two count. Waller went to the top of the cage for a viral moment, but Breakker met him at the top and superplexed him all the way down. Breakker hit the spear and pulled the straps down. Breakker told Waller off for talking trash before hitting a massive second spear for the win.
Post-match, Carmelo Hayes came out and looked down Breakker from the ramp as the show went off the air.
Ahead of Saturday’s NXT Vengeance Day, WWE Hall of Famer and NXT head of creative Shawn Michaels spoke with the media about a variety of topics that included Vince McMahon, NXT talent in the Royal Rumble, and Mandy Rose’s departure.
Full audio of the call can be found below.
Michaels was asked if McMahon has been involved with NXT since he returned early last month. He said that he hasn’t and joked that he enjoys his “plausible deniability” of being in Florida with NXT and not knowing what’s happening in corporate. He complimented McMahon in working with him in the past.
Michaels was asked about last weekend’s Royal Rumble on a few different questions including the time his talent had in the match itself. He said NXT doesn’t have any input on how long someone is in the matcha, that it’s the main roster’s call on who gets the nod to go into the match, and how they only wanted NXT female talent in this year’s match vs. none in the men’s match.
Michaels said he caught up with William Regal at Raw XXX, but that Regal hasn’t been at the PC as he’s been busy with other things. He said he is welcome at any time and is really looking forward to having him more involved.
Asked about Mandy Rose, Michaels said he loved working with the former WWE NXT Women’s Champion and that he didn’t directly fire her as he handles the creative. Roxanne Perez was going to get to where she was regardless, but that plan was just moved up a few weeks. “I think the world of Mandy Rose,” he said.
He said they are expecting around 5000 for Saturday’s show and that talent is both excited and nervous to be performing in front of fans outside the Performance Center for the first time in years.
Asked about the whereabouts of Meiko Satomura and Ilya Dragunov, Michaels said he would love to have them anytime but that when it comes to making the commitment, there are issues of relocation, working visas, and the right timing. He didn’t specify which was affecting either talent currently.
He said Paul Levesque and Drake Maverick spoke several months ago about wanting to use NXT talent on WWE Main Event and that the NXT head writer is the one that gets to reveal the news to the talents getting the match. He thinks it’s a great thing for talent in keeping them hungry and encouraged for the future.
The NXT and NXT Women’s Championship matches are set for the Vengeance Day event on Saturday, February 4.
As announced at the conclusion of Tuesday’s NXT episode, Bron Breakker will defend the NXT Championship in a steel cage match against Grayson Waller at Vengeance Day.
Breakker defeated Waller by countout in a title match on Tuesday’s NXT New Year’s Evil episode, but a gimmicked middle rope breaking twice during the match played into the finish. As a result, NXT authority figure Shawn Michaels announced the cage match for Vengeance Day in a sit-down with Breakker and Waller at the end of the show.
Also announced for February 4, Roxanne Perez will defend the NXT Women’s Championship in a triple threat match against Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne of Toxic Attraction.
Dolin and Jayne were declared the winners of a number one contender’s battle royal at New Year’s Evil after both hit the floor simultaneously at the conclusion of the bout.
A third title match was announced on WWE’s social media, establishing a North American title match between champion Wes Lee and challenger Dijak, who became number one contender on Tuesday’s show.
The lineup for Vengeance Day so far:
WWE NXT Vengeance Day, Saturday, February 4, 8 p.m. Eastern time on Peacock & WWE Network —
NXT Championship steel cage match: Bron Breakker (c) vs. Grayson Waller
NXT Women’s Championship triple threat match: Roxanne Perez (c) vs. Gigi Dolin vs. Jacy Jayne
NXT North American title match: Wes Lee (c) vs. Dijak
For the first time since April, WWE NXT will venture outside Florida according to a Tuesday PWInsider report.
The website reported that Vengeance Day, the brand’s next special event following this Saturday’s Deadline, will be held at Charlotte, North Carolina’s Spectrum Center on Saturday, February 4th.
The venue is a large one that can seat over 19,000 fans. An on-sale date is unknown, but the show could be formally announced on Saturday with that information to follow.
This year’s Vengeance Day aired as a special edition of NXT’s weekly TV show.
The event would be NXT’s first non-Florida show since this past April’s Stand and Deliver which took place during WrestleMania weekend in Dallas, Texas. Before that, the last special event outside Florida was a TakeOver show in Portland, Oregon, in February 2020.
Following Vengeance Day, it’s expected NXT will hold another Stand and Deliver event during WrestleMania 39 weekend in Los Angeles, California.
WWE NXT leader Shawn Michaels will talk about Deadline, and perhaps Vengeance Day, on Thursday afternoon during a media call.
Tuesday’s special Vengeance Day edition of NXT averaged 525,000 viewers on Syfy. That’s up 31.3 percent from last week and is the best viewership number NXT has done in the four times it’s aired on Syfy between this year and last year.
In the 18-49 demo, NXT drew a 0.11 rating, up 57.1 percent from the previous week. The show finished 48th on cable in that category after falling outside the top 50 for the first week on Syfy.
As compared to the same week in 2021, NXT was down 26.4 percent in viewers and down 31.3 percent in 18-49. That was when NXT was still airing on Wednesdays opposite AEW Dynamite, but it was on the stronger USA Network. It’s in line with recent year-over-year drops.
NXT will be back on USA Network next Tuesday after airing on Syfy for two straight weeks due to the Winter Olympics.
Here’s a look at the viewership and 18-49 demo ratings for NXT when the show has been moved to Syfy due to USA Network coverage of the Olympics. This also occurred for the Summer Olympics last year.
July 27, 2021 — 520,000 viewers, 0.12 rating in 18-49
August 3, 2021 — 520,000 viewers, 0.10 rating in 18-49
February 8, 2022 — 400,000 viewers, 0.07 rating in 18-49
February 15, 2022 — 525,000 viewers, 0.11 rating in 18-49
Three title bouts, the finals of the 2022 men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, and a weaponized steel cage match took place on last night’s special Vengeance Day edition of NXT.
In last night’s main event, Bron Breakker defeated Santos Escobar to retain the NXT Championship. It was Breakker’s first title defense since becoming NXT Champion last month.
While the referee was distracted by Legado del Fantasma trying to interfere during the match, Dolph Ziggler got involved and dropped Breakker with a superkick. Escobar covered Breakker to try and get the win, but Breakker kicked out. Ziggler was then taken out of the equation when Tommaso Ciampa fought with him at ringside. Breakker ended up getting the win with a spear and powerslam.
Ziggler and Ciampa will face off on NXT next week.
The NXT North American Championship and NXT Women’s Tag Team titles were also on the line last night. Carmelo Hayes retained his North American title by defeating Cameron Grimes, while Toxic Attraction’s Gigi Dolin & Jacy Jayne retained their tag titles against Indi Hartwell & Persia Pirotta.
The Creed Brothers were crowned as the 2022 men’s Dusty Cup champions as they defeated MSK in the finals. Plus, Pete Dunne defeated Tony D’Angelo in their weaponized cage match.
Join on-air personality Denise Salcedo as she reviews the February 15th edition of NXT Vengeance Day. This was a really good episode of NXT 2.0, check out the show to find out why!
Topics Rundown:
Weaponized Steel Cage match — Pete Dunne vs. Tony D’Angelo
Raquel and Cora Jade prep for the Dusty Cup tournament
Persia & Indi challenge Toxic Attraction for the NXT Tag Team Championship
Will Wendy Choo wants to partner with Dakota Kai
LA Knight and Grayson Waller feud continues
NXT North American Championship: Carmelo Hayes vs. Cameron Grimes
Three title matches headline tonight’s special Vengeance Day edition of NXT.
The NXT Championship will be on the line as Bron Breakker defends against Santos Escobar in tonight’s main event. It will be Breakker’s first title defense since winning the championship from Tommaso Ciampa at New Year’s Evil last month.
The NXT North American Championship and NXT Women’s Tag Team titles will also be up for grabs tonight. Carmelo Hayes defends his North American title against Cameron Grimes, while Indi Hartwell & Persia Pirotta challenge Toxic Attraction (Gigi Dolin & Jacy Jayne) for the Women’s Tag Team titles.
The finals of the 2022 men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic will take place as MSK take on The Creed Brothers. Plus, Pete Dunne faces Tony D’Angelo in a weaponized steel cage match.
For the second straight week, NXT is airing on Syfy due to the Winter Olympics being on USA Network. Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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Pete Dunne defeated Tony D’Angelo in a Weaponized Steel Cage Match
Pete Dunne was already standing in the cage as we kicked off the show. Then we cut to the back where Tony D’Angelo was driven into the building in a car that Vic Joseph mentioned might have been “lifted”.
Dunne attacked D’Angelo immediately after the bell and hit him with several of the weapons that were tied up around the cage. D’Angelo fought back and hit a Falcon Arrow on top of a garbage can as things got off to a really fast start.
Dunne went after D’Angelo’s fingers early in the match too. Attacking hands has sort of been the story of their feud. First Dunne slammed D’Angelo’s hands in a tool box, then he wrapped them in a wrench and stomped on them. Dunne then tried to escape the cage but D’Angelo hit him with a blast from a fire extinguisher and suplexed him off the top. After this, he tied Dunne’s hands behind his back.
Dunne actually managed to get some offense in despite having his hands tied behind his back. He landed a headbutt and then looked to lock in a headscissors on his opponent. D’Angelo slammed out of the hold, however, and then got a 2 count after a DDT.
D’Angelo went to Powerbomb Dunne into a table but Dunne wrapped him up in a Guillotine choke. In order to get out of the move, D’Angelo grabbed pliers from the tool box and cut Dunne’s hands free.
After this, D’Angelo went for his weapon of choice, the crowbar, but Dunne caught him and powerbombed him through a table. After that, Dunne went for his weapon of choice, a cricket bat, and broke it over D’Angelo’s back. Dunne then picked him up and delivered the Bitter End but only got a 2 count.
D’Angelo then hit Dunne with a low blow and then a fisherman buster for a 2 count. Dunne then grabbed a crowbar that was hidden by the ring apron and hit D’Angelo with it. He then hit Bitter End for a second time and got the pin.
This started fast and never let up. There was a lot of plunder used but also a lot of story to it with call-backs to things that happened earlier in the rivalry.
– We cut to a video of Cora Jade being woken up early in the morning by Raquel Gonzalez. They’ll team together in the Dusty Rhodes Classic so the story here is that Gonzalez wants to train hard to win the tournament. A montage of them doing various training exercises ensued.
– The Creed Brothers and Malcolm Bivens cut a promo backstage saying the only reason MSK won the Dusty Cup last year is because they weren’t in the tournament.
– MSK cut a backstage promo saying they plan on winning back-to-back Dusty Cups. They mentioned that now they were the veterans facing an up and coming team.
Toxic Attraction (Gigi Dolin & Jacy Jayne) defeated Indi Hartwell & Persia Pirotta to retain the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships
Toxic Attraction attacked the challengers before the bell. Once things got back in the ring, Pirotta got her and Hartwell back into it pretty quickly, however, after giving Jayne a fall away slam.
The heels took over after Mandy Rose distracted Hartwell. Then after Indi had spilled to the outside, the ref caught Rose tossing her back in the ring and ejected her from ringside. We then went to commercial.
Hartwell started to make a comeback right as the show came back from break. She then made a hot tag to Pirotta who would take out both her opponents and eventually gave them a double Samoan Drop.
With Hartwell and Dolin the legal competitors, Jayne and Pirotta ended up brawling on the outside. Jayne then tossed Pirotta into the steel steps, taking her out of the match. She then grabbed Hartwell’s leg as she was going for her springboard elbow. Shortly after this, Toxic Attraction hit a high and low double-team move on Hartwell and got the pin.
– We cut to the back where Wendy Choo was asking Dakota Kai to be her teammate in the Dusty Rhodes Classic. As this was happening, Dakota was talking to someone off-screen that only she was aware of.
– Brooks Jensen and Josh Briggs were in a bar talking about their recent dates with Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter. Jensen’s date with Kayden didn’t appear to go too great, as she referred to him as like a brother. Everyone agreed that he has fallen into the “friend zone”. Riveting stuff.
Grayson Waller & LA Knight promo segment
LA Knight came out to cut a promo but was interrupted by Grayson Waller who had two police officers with him. He showed footage of Knight attacking him last week and breaking the restraining order he had taken out on him. Then Knight played a video of Waller attacking him from two weeks ago. Knight also pointed out that page 2 of the restraining order also said that Grayson Waller could not attack him either. The police officers then just decided to leave, perhaps realizing that two wrestlers attacking each other on a pro wrestling show is not something for them to get involved in.
Knight then attacked Waller and tossed him out of the ring before announcing the two of them will face off next week.
– We cut to the back where Pirotta and Indi Hartwell were consoling each other over their loss. They said they would enter the Dusty Rhodes Classic and get another shot at the titles. Dexter Lumis then came in and left with Hartwell. Duke Hudson then came in and led Pirotta away by the hand.
– Tommaso Ciampa cut a backstage promo about people thinking they are better than him because his accomplishments occurred in what they consider a “farm system.” He said Dolph Ziggler thinks he’s better than him but shouldn’t mistake his loyalty for weakness.
Carmelo Hayes (w/ Trick Williams) defeated Cameron Grimes to retain the NXT North American Championship
They started off with some back and forth grappling and a slow pace. Grimes then hit a big back body drop but got distracted with Williams on the outside. This allowed Hayes to attack from behind and go on offense. Hayes hit a springboard leg drop on Grimes as he was draped in the ropes just before we went to commercial.
During the picture-in-picture, Williams hit Grimes behind the referee’s back. Commentary played up that his interference was the story of this match thus far.
Grimes began to make a comeback shortly after we returned from break. He hit a big side slam for a 2 count. Hayes then hit a lung blower and a springboard clothesline for a 2 count. Grimes got the next near fall after a super kick.
Williams then tried to distract Grimes again but as Hayes went to attack from behind, the challenger side stepped him and gave him a poisonrana. Grimes then kicked Williams and delivered a flying crossbody to the champion for a two count.
Grimes called for his double foot stomp but Hayes rolled out of the ring. Grimes followed and went to give him the move on the floor but Williams pushed Hayes out of the way and ended up taking it himself. Hayes then tossed Grimes into the barricade.
Back in the ring, Hayes locked Grimes up in a crossface. As Grimes went for the ropes, Williams pulled the bottom rope away from him. Grimes ended up countering the hold into a pinning combination for a two count. Short after this, Hayes whiplashed Grimes’ neck off the ropes and hit a diving axe kick for the win.
In storyline, Trick Williams is really good at interfering. He did it a bunch this match without getting caught or ejected.
– In the back, Kay Lee Ray was smashing things with a baseball bat and asked if Io Shirai wanted to as well. This then led to a montage of them breaking stuff. With Zoey Stark injured, Shirai needs a tag partner for the Dusty Rhodes Classic. It looks like she’s chosen Ray.
The Creed Brothers (Brutus Creed & Julius Creed) w/ Malcolm Bivens defeated MSK (Nash Carter & Wes Lee) To Win The 2022 Men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic
Malcolm Bivens came out with a John Cena “Never Give Up” towel. He then flipped it around where it read “Nah, You Should”.
The two teams exchanged periods of offense early. Eventually, the Creed Brothers gained the advantage and knocked both members of MSK to the outside before we went to commercial break.
When we got back from break, Lee made a hot tag to Carter. He hit a snap German suplex on Brutus and a series of kicks on both Creed Brothers. He then hit a Senton on Julius as Lee tagged in and delivered a diving corkscrew right after. MSK then kept up the attack with double-team moves after this.
The Creed Brothers then turned things around. Brutus took Lee out with a push kick. Meanwhile, Julius caught a tope attempt from Carter and gave him a spine buster on the floor. He rolled him back in the ring, gave him a big clothesline and got the pin.
The Creed Brothers and Malcolm Bivens then celebrated with the Dusty Cup as confetti dropped from the floor.
– We cut to a vignette of Nikkita Lyons. She said she’ll be making her debut next week.
Imperium Promo
The fans kept chanting “Walter” at Gunther. He then corrected them on how to properly pronounce the name “Gunther”.
They congratulated The Creed Brothers on winning the Dusty Cup but said they wouldn’t be ready to face them for the titles. Gunther then said he’ll be watching the NXT Championship match between Bron Breakker and Santos Escobar with interest. He was likely about to mention something about the mat being sacred when Solo Sikoa interrupted.
Sikoa said that on the island they find the biggest and baddest guy and smack the taste out of his mouth and that’s what he was looking to do. He never did get in the ring, though. His music played and he left. So, it looks like we’ll be getting Gunther vs Sikoa sometime soon.
– Dolph Ziggler was interviewed in the back and spoke about Ciampa’s promo from earlier. Ziggler said that he plans on ending Ciampa’s hope of becoming NXT champion again by beating him next week. He also said he’ll be watching the NXT Championship match between Breakker and Escobar closely.
– In the back, Pete Dunne congratulated Carmela Hayes on still be NXT North American Champion “for now”. It looks like Dunne plans on challenging for that belt soon.
– The lineup for next week was revealed. The Women’s Dusty Rhodes Classic begins next week, though no teams or matches were announced. LA Knight vs Grayson Waller and Dolph Ziggler vs Tommaso Ciampa were also announced.
Bron Breakker defeated Santos Escobar to retain the NXT Championship
During his ring entrance, Breakker lit the Vengeance Day logo on fire before walking out to the ring.
They established Breakker as the much stronger wrestler early in the match. He knocked the challenger over with a shoulder block and also no-sold a shove attempt (as in Escobar shoved him but he didn’t move an inch).
Escobar got back into things with a dropkick. Breakker then regained the advantage shortly after with a big delayed vertical suplex. A lariat and a backbreaker followed. Then Joaquin Wilde got up on the ring apron, distracting the champion. Escobar knocked Breakker off the ring apron and landed his patented tope. This led to Escobar going on a sustained period of offense.
After a very long period of Escobar wearing the champion down, Breakker eventually made a comeback. He hit a flurry of punches and shoulder blocks to get back into it. Mendoza and Wilde then both got up on the ring apron but Breakker took them both out. Then Elektra Lopez distracted the referee and Dolph Ziggler ran in and super kicked Breakker. Escobar covered the champion but only got a two count. This really upset Ziggler on the outside.
Ziggler then tried to get back in the ring but Tommaso Ciampa prevented him. They then brawled on the outside.
Escobar hit a tornado DDT but missed a frog splash attempt. Breakker then hit a spear, pulled the straps down on his singlet and gorilla pressed his opponent into a power slam and got the pin.
Final Thoughts: This was a fun show. The NXT Championship picture is getting exciting. Multiple guys stated their intentions to go after the belt tonight. Ziggler, Ciampa, and Gunther all referenced wanting a shot at the title. Ziggler and Ciampa will face each other next week while Gunther has to get passed Solo Sikoa at some point it seems. A Gunther vs Breakker match would be fun, Ziggler vs Breakker would be good too. I imagine those will be the next two title matches. The cage match tonight was awesome, and Grimes vs Hayes was good too. There are things to like about NXT 2.0.
Santos Escobar will officially be the first challenger for Bron Breakker’s NXT Championship.
Breakker will defend his title against Escobar at NXT Vengeance Day on Tuesday, February 15. The show is airing live on Syfy instead of the USA Network due to a scheduling conflict with the Winter Olympics.
Breakker won the NXT Championship from Tommaso Ciampa at New Year’s Evil last month. Escobar has taken exception to Breakker becoming champion so soon into his career, saying that he despises how fast Breakker got to NXT, despises the opportunities Breakker has been given, and despises the fact that Breakker won the NXT Championship before him.
Whenever Breakker challenged Escobar to face him over the last few weeks, Escobar stated that they would do things on his time. Breakker & Ciampa defeated Escobar’s Legado del Fantasma stablemates Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde in the main event of NXT this past Tuesday. Breakker challenged Escobar to get into the ring after the match, but Escobar again said that they would do things on his time.
Before Vengeance Day, Breakker and Escobar will meet for a “championship summit” on next Tuesday’s NXT. That episode is also airing on Syfy due to the Winter Olympics.
Here’s the updated card for Vengeance Day:
NXT Champion Bron Breakker defends against Santos Escobar
NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes defends against Cameron Grimes
NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Toxic Attraction (Gigi Dolin & Jacy Jayne) defend against Indi Hartwell & Persia Pirotta
The finals of the 2022 men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic
