A new match has been confirmed for WWE NXT Spring Breakin’ night two.
Tyson Dupont & Tyriek Igwe vs. The OC’s Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows will take place on the show.
Dupont & Igwe have been teaming together at NXT house shows and episodes of Level Up since last summer. A vignette aired on last Tuesday’s show promoting their NXT debuts but did not reveal their opponents.
Igwe and Dupont were both signed after WWE’s tryouts in Nashville during SummerSlam week in 2022. Both were collegiate track and field athletes specializing in shot put. Igwe went to Eastern Michigan and Dupont went to South Alabama. Their first tag match together was in May 2023 but they didn’t start regularly performing as a team until last August.
WWE NXT lineup for Tuesday, April 30, 2024 —
NXT North American Champion Oba Femi defends against Ivar
NXT Tag Team Champions Nathan Frazer & Axiom defend against Akam & Rezar
Anderson opened up to Ryan Satin during the latest episode of “Out Of Character” about how angry he was after being let go from the company in 2020.
Noting how he’s an “emotional and fiery person,” Anderson explained that while the release came as a surprise, he’s happier these days that he, along with his tag-team partner Luke Gallows and WWE were able to “be men and move on.”
“Maybe I said some things that were out of passion,” Anderson said. “When you’re angry about something or if you’re working up about something, you’re going to say what you feel and say what you think might be right or might not be right, but who knows what was going on behind the scenes? … I don’t know all that stuff and who knows who’s calling the shots at certain points at that time in 2020, so I’m just glad that we were able to work it out.”
When asked if he’d ever return to WWE in 2020, Anderson said “Absolutely f- not.” From there, Anderson and Gallows went on an independent run that saw the team pop up everywhere from AEW to Impact Wrestling to NJPW.
Anderson said in the interview that after he and Gallows were released, they made sure they’d “hit it hard” as they ventured toward life outside WWE. As a result, he claimed they were “busier than a lot of people in the industry” during the two years they were away from WWE.
The former Raw Tag Team Champion also opened up about how he’s “itching to get The O.C. moving,” especially after the addition of Michin. Falling in line with that, he said, is a singles run he hopes to receive sooner than later.
“I don’t know why I wasn’t in the Money In The Bank match,” Anderson said. “Let’s get this rocking. AJ’s the World Champion, Gallows can be seen as the heater and throw me in the ladder match. I’m dying for it. I think it’s just more about timing and just kind of waiting for the right story. I’m pushing for it. I hope for it.”
Anderson was last seen on WWE television during last week’s SmackDown, where he, along with Gallows, fought the Brawling Brutes (Butch & Ridge Holland) to a no contest.
Anderson’s stablemate AJ Styles is set to take on Karrion Kross on this week’s episode of the show. Anderson lost to Kross in singles action two weeks ago.
AJ Styles returned to WWE on Friday’s SmackDown after missing four months with a broken ankle.
Styles returned to the show alongside Michin, Karl Anderson, and Luke Gallows of The OC, and the unit was drafted to the SmackDown brand on night one of the WWE Draft. Styles had been out of action after suffering a broken ankle at a WWE house show in Hershey, Pennsylvania on December 29, 2022.
The OC shot an angle with The Viking Raiders & Valhalla on SmackDown, setting up a tag team match with Anderson & Gallows vs. Erik & Ivar on next week’s SmackDown.
Styles did get physical in the angle on his first night back, as he hit his springboard Phenomenal Forearm on Ivar.
Debuting with WWE at the Royal Rumble in January 2016, Styles has gone on to accomplish the WWE Grand Slam, holding four different titles in his time with the promotion. He is a two-time WWE Champion, three-time United States Champion, and has held the Intercontinental and Raw Tag Team Championships one time each.
This past week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, before Monday’s episode of Raw.
Carmelo Hayes defeated Akira Tozawa (5:42)
This was a good match between two extremely talented and athletic workers. Tozawa is always so good in this spot and Hayes showed what an exciting talent he is.
Hayes cut an inset promo as he made his way to the ring, pointing out that he was now the number one contender to the NXT title and that tonight, Tozawa would just end up as another name on a t-shirt.
Hayes is impressive and after Tozawa took the first minute or so, they did a nice spot where he suplexed Tozawa over the top rope and then hung his legs over the bottom rope and did some sit-ups. That, and an absolutely beautiful springboard clothesline where he pretty flew across half the ring, showed off what he can do.
Tozawa got the hope, culminating in a top rope back elbow for two. They then traded near falls before Hayes rolled out of the way of a top rope senton.
Hayes went up top himself and connected with a leg drop to the back of Tozawa’s neck for the win. This was very much like the move John Cena used to do and the crowd seemed to appreciate the acknowledgement given that Cena was in the building.
The OC (w/ Michin) defeated Maximum Male Models w/ Maxine Dupree) (5:59)
There wasn’t much to this one, but they gave the right team the win in front of an expectant Boston crowd.
Although both Mansoor and Mace have worked Main Event before, this was their first appearance as a tag team. It’s a horrible gimmick, but they made me chuckle as they walked to the ring. In their body language and gait, they seem to be channeling Serge from Beverly Hills Cop. If you know, you know.
Maximum Male Models are pretty easy to hate and Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson had no issue getting over with this audience. Without the injured AJ Styles, they are essentially treading water for now which must be frustrating after they returned to the company in the fall of last year.
They did some early comedy and quick tags, which led to Anderson getting distracted by Maxine who got up on the apron and tried to scout him for her agency. This led to Gallows getting taken out and Michin and Dupree arguing outside as we went to the break.
When we got back, Mansoor was in control of Anderson, slowing things down. They built to giving Gallows the hot tag and he ran wild, destroying both Mansoor and Mace. Anderson then recovered and they hit Mansoor with the Magic Killer for the win.
Final Thoughts:
This was a mediocre show made better by a strong, quick opener and a hot crowd. As a show, it didn’t translate that well on screen, but to get your crowd pumped for Raw, I’m sure it made sense in the building.
This will be the first time Gallows & Anderson have wrestled on Raw since January. They’ve wrestled house show matches and dark matches since then, along with appearing on a couple episodes of WWE Main Event.
“Since AJ Styles was taken out with an injury, it has been a minute since we have seen The O.C., but they look to make their triumphant return by dehydrating the always thirsty Maximum Male Models,” WWE wrote.
Gallows & Anderson defeated Maximum Male Models on the most recent episode of Main Event.
Maximum Male Models are currently involved in a storyline where they’re trying to recruit Otis.
Gargano defeated Judgment Day’s Finn Balor on Raw earlier this week. Gargano was able to get the win after Edge interfered to cost Balor the match.
A face-to-face between Balor and Edge will take place on this Monday’s Raw. Balor has challenged Edge to face him at WrestleMania 39.
The updated lineup for Monday’s Raw is listed below:
Brock Lesnar & Omos face-to-face
Edge & Finn Balor face-to-face
Non-title match: Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair vs. Chelsea Green
Elias vs. Bronson Reed
The OC (Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson) vs. Maximum Male Models (Mace & Mansoor)
Johnny Gargano & Dexter Lumis vs. The Judgment Day (Damian Priest & Dominik Mysterio)
Mia Yim is the answer to The OC’s Rhea Ripley problem.
Yim made her return to WWE on Monday night’s episode of Raw, aligning with The OC (AJ Styles, Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson) in their feud against The Judgment Day (Ripley, Finn Balor, Damian Priest & Dominik Mysterio). Yim blindsided Ripley and then attacked her with a kendo stick.
The OC and Yim got the better of a brawl with Judgment Day after Styles laid out Dominik with a Styles Clash.
At Saturday’s Crown Jewel pay-per-view, The OC lost a six-man tag match to The Judgment Day after Ripley interfered.
The OC confronted The Judgment Day on Raw tonight and said the issues between the two factions are far from over. Styles said it’s always been the three of them versus the four members of Judgment Day. Styles said they still hadn’t found someone to take care of their Ripley problem — but someone found them. A person wearing a hoodie then attacked Ripley at ringside, with Yim pulling down the hood to reveal that it was her.
Yim was released by WWE during a round of roster cuts in November 2021. She’s the latest wrestler to be brought back to the company in the Paul “Triple H” Levesque era.
Yim was a member of Retribution during her last run with WWE, using the name “Reckoning” on the main roster.
More main roster talent has been announced for this week’s WWE NXT episode.
The OC’s Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson will team with Cameron Grimes on Tuesday’s NXT show, facing The Schism’s Joe Gacy, Rip Fowler, and Jagger Reid in a trios bout.
Grimes appeared on Monday’s Raw show to recruit Gallows and Anderson for his Tuesday bout.
Earlier in the show, NXT’s Cora Jade appeared in a segment to recruit Rhea Ripley as Roxanne Perez’s “Pick Your Poison” opponent on this week’s NXT. Jade is set to take on Raquel Rodriguez on NXT in a match set up on Friday’s SmackDown show.
Tuesday’s NXT show will go head-to-head with AEW Dynamite.
Here is the updated lineup for NXT:
The Schism (Joe Gacy, Rip Fowler, and Jagger Reid) vs. Cameron Grimes, Luke Gallows, and Karl Anderson
Alba Fyre vs. Sonya Deville
Channing ‘Stacks’ Lorenzo vs. an opponent of Tony D’Angelo’s choosing
Despite not being regular tag team partners, Braun Strowman and Seth Rollins are the new Raw Tag Team champions following tonight’s Raw main event.
Strowman was in action earlier in the show, defeating AJ Styles by disqualification when the rest of the O.C. came in to interfere. Seth Rollins came out for the save, warding them off. Later backstage, Rollins asked Strowman if he wanted to team up to take on the O.C. in a title match. He accepted, setting up the main event.
After a back and forth match, Strowman pinned Anderson to win the titles, with Rollins preventing AJ Styles from interfering. Following the match, both men stood on the ramp holding their new titles. The show closed with Strowman starting at Seth Rollins’ Universal title, with Rollins noticing.
Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows held the Raw Tag Team titles for only 21 days. They defeated The Revival back on the July 29 edition of Raw.
