Tag: odyssey jones

Odyssey Jones advances to NXT Breakout Tournament finals

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Odyssey Jones has booked his spot in the NXT Breakout Tournament finals.

Jones advanced to the Breakout Tournament finals by defeating Trey Baxter in a semifinal match on NXT tonight. Jones will face either Duke Hudson or Carmelo Hayes in the finals.

The semifinal match between Hudson and Hayes is set for next Tuesday’s episode of NXT. WWE hasn’t announced when the finals will be taking place.

The winner of the Breakout Tournament will receive a shot at the NXT title of their choosing.

Jones (real name Omari Palmer) is a former college football player for Syracuse University. He signed with WWE in 2019.

Jones has wrestled multiple dark matches at main roster shows in recent weeks. He also appeared on this Monday’s tapings for WWE Main Event.

Hudson (formerly known as Elliot Sexton) also signed with WWE in 2019. Using his real name Brendan Vink, he formerly teamed with Shane Thorne on both Raw and NXT.

Hayes (formerly known as Christian Casanova) signed with WWE earlier this year. He made his NXT debut this June, unsuccessfully challenging Kushida for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship.

Breakout Tournament semifinal match announced for WWE NXT

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The semifinals of the NXT Breakout Tournament are set to begin tonight.

WWE has announced that Odyssey Jones will face Trey Baxter in a Breakout Tournament semifinal match on tonight’s episode of NXT. The winner will advance to face either Duke Hudson or Carmelo Hayes in the finals.

Jones defeated Andre Chase in the first round of the Breakout Tournament, while Baxter defeated Joe Gacy.

The winner of the Breakout Tournament will receive a future shot at the NXT title of their choosing.

It’s also been announced that tonight’s NXT will feature a special look at the feud between Karrion Kross and Samoa Joe. Kross will defend his NXT Championship against Joe at TakeOver 36 on Sunday, August 22.

Here’s the updated card for tonight’s NXT:

  • NXT general manager William Regal will mediate a face-to-face segment with Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly
  • NXT Women’s Champion Raquel Gonzalez will respond to Dakota Kai
  • Ilja Dragunov appears
  • NXT Breakout Tournament semifinal match: Odyssey Jones vs. Trey Baxter
  • A special look at the feud between NXT Champion Karrion Kross and Samoa Joe
  • Sarray vs. Dakota Kai

NXT Breakout Tournament semifinals set

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The NXT Breakout Tournament is down to its final four wrestlers.

Trey Baxter defeated Joe Gacy on tonight’s NXT to advance to the semifinals of the Breakout Tournament. Odyssey Jones will be Baxter’s opponent in the next round.

Duke Hudson vs. Carmelo Hayes is the Breakout Tournament’s other semifinal match. The winner of that match will advance to face the winner of Jones vs. Baxter in the finals. WWE hasn’t announced when the finals will be taking place.

Jones advanced to the semifinals by defeating Andre Chase in the first round. Hudson defeated Ikemen Jiro in the first round, while Hayes defeated Josh Briggs.

The winner of the Breakout Tournament will receive a shot at the NXT title of their choosing. The tournament will continue on NXT next Tuesday. 

This is the second-ever NXT Breakout Tournament. Jordan Myles (ACH) won the inaugural tournament in 2019.

Baxter (formerly known as Blake Christian) and Hayes (formerly known as Christian Casanova) both signed with WWE earlier this year. Hudson (Brendan Vink) and Jones (former Syracuse football player Omari Palmer) signed with WWE in 2019.

Hudson formerly teamed with Shane Thorne on both NXT and Raw.

Davey Boy Smith Jr. works dark match prior to WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Davey Boy Smith Jr. appeared in a dark match prior to tonight’s SmackDown.

Smith teamed with Austin Theory to take on Odyssey Jones and Xyon Quinn (formerly Daniel Vidot). Smith was billed under his real name, Harry Smith. In another dark match, Xia Li wrestled Aliyah.

WWE later posted a video on social media with Smith talking about his return to WWE.

Originally signed by WWE in 2006, Smith was released by WWE in 2011 and spent most of the last decade teaming with Lance Archer as the Killer Elite Squad in New Japan Pro Wrestling, where they won the IWGP Tag Team titles on three occasions. Smith left NJPW in 2019 and has worked dates with MLW since his departure. He also attended the WWE Hall of Fame indcution ceremony this year, where his father The British Bulldog was inducted.

Tonight’s SmackDown at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas is the first television taping to take place in front of fans since March of 2020. WrestleMania 36 in Tampa, Florida has been the only WWE event to be held with a live audience since then.

WWE 205 Live results: Odyssey Jones vs. Grayson Waller

Posted on by Chick Fritts

Both matches on tonight’s 205 Live featured men over 250 pounds; I guess that’s what happens when you gut the entire cruiserweight roster.

Josh Briggs defeated Asher Hale

205 Live opened with the 6’9’’ Josh Briggs, a man who is closer to 305 pounds than 205. This was a typical “David vs Goliath” match, only with Goliath emerging victorious. It was fine.

Briggs used his size to his advantage, forcing Hale to use his speed and intelligence if he wanted to stand a chance. Hale had a moment or two of hope as the match got underway, but Briggs proved dominant. 

Hale dodged a knee drop late in the match, opening Briggs up for some quick strikes. Hale connected with a DDT and locked in a crossface to cement control for the first time in the match. Hale unloaded with everything in his repertoire but was unable to finish Briggs. Hale, in desperation, climbed to the top rope but missed his double foot stomp. Briggs hit the ropes and connected with a clothesline from hell, leading directly to his pinfall victory.

Odyssey Jones defeated Grayson Waller

The night of giants continued with the 205 Live debut of Odyssey Jones, a genuine 400 pounder [insert 405 Live joke here]. Commentary also pointed out Jones could deadlift FOUR typical 205 Live competitors at once. I’m not sure what this show is anymore. 

This match wasn’t great. It was awkward at times, and the groundwork was just plain bad.

Waller opened the match by feeling out Jones with some sparring. Jones responded by dropping Waller with a shoulder tackle. This match then started playing out like the last; Jones abused his strength as Waller struggled for hope.

Waller was able to open up Jones by sending him to the outside. A slam into the ring post allowed Waller to connect with tons of strikes before locking in a guillotine; this wasn’t enough to stop the strength of Jones, however. A stunner and lariat from Waller resulted in Jones a one-count kick out. 

Jones regained control by sheer strength alone. After tossing Waller around a little, Jones connected with the world’s strongest slam before pinning Waller clean in the middle.

Four NXT wrestlers compete in dark matches prior to WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Four NXT wrestlers, including Toni Storm and Odyssey Jones, worked dark matches prior to tonight’s SmackDown.

Dave Meltzer has confirmed that Toni Storm, Karrion Kross, and Shotzi Blackheart worked dark matches tonight. Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful was the first to report that Storm worked a dark match. PWInsider additionally reported that Storm faced Shotzi Blackheart. Odyssey Jones, real name Omari Palmer, faced Robert Roode in a singles match. He is a former football player for Syracuse University who has been signed with WWE since 2019.

Karrion Kross, who has worked dark matches for WWE officials for the last few weeks, faced Cesaro tonight in a singles match. Kross and Blackheart have previously competed in dark matches. Kross appeared on Main Event two weeks ago, defeating Shelton Benjamin. Blackheart competed in a dark match prior to last week’s SmackDown, facing Scarlett.

Bronson Reed is another name that has appeared in recent dark matches. He also competed on Main Event two weeks ago, defeating Drew Gulak.