WWE’s Butch appeared on BBC’s Mark Andrews: My Love Letter to Wrestling podcast Thursday to address his name change from Pete Dunne and SmackDown call-up.
When asked about the change in character from Pete Dunne to Butch, Butch said that his name was not his main connection with the wrestling audience to begin with.
“The thing is with me, whether it’s a name or whatever changes, that’s not what really endeared me to the audience in the first place, right? I’d like to think anyway it’s the quality of the in-ring work, and that’s what I’m going to keep the same, of course. And it’s going to get better, it’s going to improve as time goes,” Butch said.
“It’s exciting. I’ve been in NXT for five years now, so time to change it up and see what we can do and push it forward with a new challenge,” said Butch.
“It’s exciting, but it’s also just a little bit different. I think it’s time to change it up a little bit. Five years, fresh start, and why not try something a little new.”
Butch spoke fondly of his time in WWE NXT, but also said that he felt the time was right to be called up to WWE’s SmackDown roster.
“I was lucky to have as long as I did in NXT. And to be honest, there was a time there when I felt like it’d be a shame to stop being in NXT,” Butch said.
“Honestly, we always wanted to move on and be a part of WrestleMania and that kind of stuff. But there was a definitely a time there where NXT was rolling how it was, there was so many people to work with, every matchup was exciting when you were on the road, TV, pay-per-view or TakeOver special, whatever it was, and it seemed like a really sad thought to be out of there,” said Butch.
“But it’s definitely time to move up. So I’m grateful for five years, but definitely excited to see what comes next.”
Pete Dunne arrived on SmackDown last night, but he did so using a new name.
Sheamus and Ridge Holland became a trio as they introduced Dunne as their newest associate. Sheamus said some people may know this person by a different name, but they know him by his nickname — Butch.
Butch helped Sheamus & Holland defeat Big E & Kofi Kingston in a tag team match last night. He distracted Kingston, which led to Sheamus blindsiding Kingston with a Brogue Kick. Butch then attacked Kingston after the match. Sheamus and Holland pulled Butch away, but Butch went back and attacked him again.
There was a terrifying moment during the tag match where a spot went wrong and Big E landed on his head when Holland gave him an overhead belly-to-belly suplex on the floor. Big E was stretchered out and later posted an update from the hospital. Big E said he was able to move all of his digits and his strength felt fine, but doctors were telling him that his neck is broken.
Join on-camera personality Denise Salcedo as she breaks down the March 11th editions of both WWE SmackDown and AEW Rampage.
The first portion of the stream focuses on the most noteworthy moments from Smackdown, including the name change of Pete Dunne to “Butch” and the unfortunate Big E injury.
The second portion of the stream is all about AEW Rampage, we go over the biggest moments of the night including the debut of Swerve Strickland.
Pete Dunne, under a new name, made his main roster debut on SmackDown tonight.
In a backstage promo, Sheamus introduced Dunne under the name Butch. Sheamus said that while he was known as another name elsewhere, he and Ridge Holland knew him under his nickname.
Butch later accompanied Sheamus and Holland to a match where they faced Big E and Kofi Kingston in a tag team match. The finish had Butch climb on the apron to distract Kofi, leading Sheamus to throw Kofi off the top rope and pin him for the win following the brouge kick. After the match, Butch attacked Kingston until he was held back by Sheamus and Holland. But Butch resumed the attack until he was finally finished.
Dunne signed with the WWE in early 2017, working both on the NXT UK brand and NXT. He’s held the NXT United Kingdom Championship and is also a 1 time NXT Tag Team Champion with Riddle. He most recently was on the March 1 episode of NXT, losing to Carmelo Hayes in a match for the North American Championship. He re-signed with the WWE last summer.
Join on-camera personality Denise Salcedo as she reviews the March 1 edition of WWE NXT 2.0. This show featured the buildup to NXT Roadblock, Gunther in action and a main event match between Carmelo Hayes and Pete Dunne. Stay updated with NXT 2.0 every week!
Topics:
– Denise’s ROH announcement
– The pros of main roster talent being featured on NXT 2.0, big title match made
– Gunther vs. Solo Sikoa
– Women’s Dusty Cup tournament
– Amari Miller vs. Lash Legend, Nikkita Lyons future feud set up
Pete Dunne and Tony D’Angelo have agreed to a weaponized steel cage match for Vengeance Day next week.
D’Angelo interfered during a match between Dunne and Draco Anthony on tonight’s NXT. After Dunne defeated Anthony, D’Angelo attacked Dunne on the apron. Dunne was able to break free and started to throw weapons into the ring, eventually challenging D’Angelo to a weaponized steel cage match. D’Angelo agreed to the stipulation.
Dunne and D’Angelo have feuded in recent months, with Dunne defeating D’Angelo on the December 21st edition of NXT. D’Angelo then defeated Dunne in a Crowbar on a Pole match on the January 11 edition of NXT. It was then confirmed last week that the two would meet inside a steel cage on Vengeance Day.
Also announced for Vengeance Day is Carmelo Hayes vs. Cameron Grimes for the NXT North American Championship, Toxic Attraction vs. Indi Hartwell and Persia Pirotta for the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship, the finals of the men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, and Bron Breakker vs. Santos Escobar for the NXT Championship.
Additionally, Grayson Waller threatened that LA Knight would be arrested next week after Knight attacked Waller on tonight’s show. Waller had attempted to sneak attack Knight after he defeated Waller’s bodyguard Sanga, but Knight attacked him first.
A steel cage match is the latest addition to the card for NXT Vengeance Day.
WWE has announced that Pete Dunne and Tony D’Angelo will face off inside of a steel cage at NXT Vengeance Day on Tuesday, February 15. Due to the Winter Olympics, the show will air live on Syfy instead of the USA Network.
D’Angelo defeated Dunne in a Crowbar on a Pole match last month. The week after his win, D’Angelo conducted a memorial service for Dunne and claimed that Dunne’s career was over.
Dunne then made his return by costing D’Angelo a North American Championship number one contender’s match against Cameron Grimes. Dunne got revenge against D’Angelo by hitting him in the hand with a cricket bat.
On NXT earlier this week, a promo aired with Dunne challenging D’Angelo to a steel cage match. Dunne wanted to settle their issues where they started — inside of a steel cage. Dunne and D’Angelo were on opposing teams at NXT WarGames this past December.
Here’s the updated lineup for NXT Vengeance Day:
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
This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the BOK center in Tulsa, Oklahoma before Monday’s Raw and feature another go-round with two NXT stars.
Tommaso Ciampa defeated Akira Tozawa (5:32)
Ciampa looked a lot more like a dominant force this week than he did in his win over T-Bar last week as he and Tozawa worked well together.
Ciampa took to social media this week to show off a pretty nasty looking elbow injury, but it’s not clear if it was from this match or another one from this week.
He showed no sign of any issues here as he and Tozawa built up to some nice tense near falls in the last moments. Tozawa is such a good worker and he really doesn’t get enough credit for that. He’s the perfect rag doll, but can really go when he needs to as well.
In the end, Tozawa was trying for a submission but Ciampa was able to power his way out and hit a high knee for a near fall. He signalled that it was time to end the show, hitting the Fairytale Ending for a conclusive victory.
Pete Dunne defeated T-Bar (6:50)
Dunne snatched a victory here as these two had a pretty decent match by Main Event standards. Last week, it was Ciampa who stole one against T-Bar, but this week it was Dunne’s turn.
T-Bar was trash talking Dunne throughout this one, playing a heel rather than the babyface he has been of late. After a sit-out chokeslam for a near fall, he grabbed Dunne by the hair and pulled him in close to growl at him that he was “just too small.”
Dunne worked over T-Bar’s left arm throughout the match in a pretty methodical way and tried for a kimura on two separate occasions.
That played into the finish when Dunne tried the kimura for the second time. But, as T-Bar was powering his way out, he got rolled up into a small package to give Dunne the win.
Dunne made out of the ring like a bandit to celebrate on the ramp and you felt that it would be absolutely fine if they did this all over again next week.
T-Bar had been ruining local jobbers each week over the last few months on this show, but has now lost two in a row.
Final Thoughts:
They mixed up last week’s matches, swapping the opponents around for the two new main roster call-ups and by doing so, it was better a show than last time out.
It’s obviously a giant waste to have Dunne and Ciampa on Main Event, but these were easily two of the better matches on this show in recent memory, so I am far from complaining.
This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania before Monday’s Raw, featuring two of NXT’s top talents.
As reported on Wrestling Observer Radio earlier this week, both Tommaso Ciampa and Pete Dunne randomly were tabbed to make their Main Event debuts with little explanation. At the best of times, it isn’t the best career move to be on this show, so we shall see what happens next for both.
The Philly crowd certainly reacted well with both matches having way more noise than normal as, in fact, Main Event is normally crowd sweetened pretty severely.
Tommaso Ciampa defeated T-Bar (5:30)
The former NXT Champion was hardly put over as a superstar here as the finish protected T-Bar to some extent, but the match was fine.
Over the last few weeks, T-Bar has been picking up some decisive victories, defeating local talent in quick squash matches. So, this was something of a surprise in both opponent and outcome.
They went back and forth, but it was mainly T-Bar’s match. In the end, Ciampa reversed a backbreaker attempt, rolling through into a jackknife cover to steal the victory.
A former champion like Ciampa doesn’t belong on this show, so only time will tell what they ultimately plan to do with him.
Pete Dunne defeated Akira Tozawa (7:58)
Much like the opener, Dunne was hardly a whirlwind force to be reckoned with here, but he and Tozawa worked well together.
So, Ciampa struggled somewhat against T-Bar. Therefore, logic would tell you Dunne would debut against Tozawa and squash him, right? Wrong.
Tozawa is a sporadic regular on this show, but is genuinely excellent at playing the rag doll. Although this match ought to have run way shorter, there’s nothing massively wrong with Tozawa taking a beating for eight minutes.
Tozawa got some hope and even a near fall toward the end, but the match was otherwise Dunne working over his left arm, using a variety of armbars and hammerlocks.
Had this been Dunne’s full main roster debut, it was pretty much his greatest hits in terms of his move set, but I was hoping for a far more decisive match and fewer rest holds.
The finish was good with Dunne double stomping Tozawa’s hands before nailing him with the Bitter End. The announcers didn’t call it that, as is often the way, but Dunne posed and shrugged off the cheers at the end of the match.
Final Thoughts:
Needless to say, this was a much more interesting episode of Main Event this week. After Rey and Dominik Mysterio’s appearance last week and then two of NXT’s elite turning up this week, it become an infinitely more watchable show. But when this report goes up on the website, I can already imagine the audible groan from anyone reading.
The following contains spoilers for this week’s WWE Main Event.
This week’s edition of WWE Main Event will see a pair of NXT stars in action in former NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa and Pete Dunne.
Ciampa defeated T-Bar while Dunne picked up a win over Akira Tozawa in matches taped prior to WWE Raw Monday at the Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia, PA.
Prior to last Friday’s SmackDown, the 36-year-old Ciampa and 28-year-old Dunne wrestled against each other in a dark match.
Both have appeared on the main roster before, mainly on house shows. This is the first Main Event appearance for either man.
On WWE NXT, Ciampa is coming off a title loss to Bron Breakker at last Tuesday’s New Year’s Evil while Dunne’s last outing was a mid-December win over Tony D’Angelo.
It’s unknown whether there is interest in moving Ciampa or Dunne up to the main roster.
A new NXT Championship match has been added to tonight’s WWE house show event in Madison Square Garden.
It was announced on Madison Square Garden’s Twitter that Tommaso Ciampa will defend the NXT Championship against Pete Dunne.
“JUST ANNOUNCED: @NXTCiampa defends his #WWENXT Championship against @PeteDunneYxB TONIGHT at #WWEMSG!,” they wrote.
Already scheduled for tonight’s show are two cage matches. Becky Lynch will defend the Raw Women’s Championship against Bianca Belair, while Big E will defend the WWE Championship against Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens in a triple threat match.
Ciampa in recent weeks has been feuding with Bron Breakker, rekindling their initial feud over the NXT Championship. The two will meet again in another title match at New Year’s Evil, a special edition of NXT that will take place on January 4. Pete Dunne, meanwhile, was laid out at the end of last Tuesday’s NXT, where Tony D’Angelo assaulted Dunne after Dunne defeated him.
A triple threat match for the North American Championship headlines tonight’s episode of NXT.
Carmelo Hayes will put his North American title on the line against Johnny Gargano and Pete Dunne. Hayes challenged Gargano and Dunne to the match after both had emerged as challengers to his title in recent weeks.
Two non-title matches involving champions are also set for tonight. NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa will face Grayson Waller, while NXT Women’s Champion Mandy Rose will take on Cora Jade.
The women’s WarGames match for NXT WarGames has been revealed, with Rose, Gigi Dolin, Jacy Jayne & Dakota Kai set to battle Io Shirai, Raquel Gonzalez, Jade, and a partner who has yet to be announced. NXT WarGames is taking place on Sunday, December 5 and will air live on Peacock/WWE Network.
Plus, Kayden Carter & Kacy Catanzaro vs. Indi Hartwell & Persia Pirotta has been announced for tonight. Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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Grayson Waller on the house microphone cut off the canned intro. Waller calls himself the fastest rising stars in NXT. He then addresses Tommaso Ciampa, saying Ciampa was not in the intro. Waller says Ciampa is not a superstar like Waller himself. The crowd chants that Ciampa was going to kill him. Waller then heels on the crowd.
Waller went on to bring up John Cena, The Rock and Roman Reigns. Waller says the crowd booed all of those people. Lots of false equivalences by Waller until the entrance of Ciampa interrupts him.
NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa defeated Grayson Waller in a non-title match
Ciampa pinned Waller clean in a match that was fun to watch. Ciampa was clearly the ring general, which is fitting since he is the champ of the brand.
Ciampa was dominating at the start until Waller cuts him off. Waller twice uses a neckbreaker to derail Ciampa’s train of momentum.
Waller spoofs The People’s Elbow, but he misses the actual elbow drop. Ciampa mows down Waller with a series of lariats. Waller is on rubber legs when he is clotheslined over the ropes. Ciampa with more clotheslines at ringside, and Ciampa proceeds to throw Waller over the announce desk.
The match goes through a commercial break. During the break, Wallers cuts off Ciampa with a leg lariat. Ciampa fires up as the show returns from the break. They collide together, and both go down. Ciampa with jumping knee strike, and they both go down again.
Double down led into them trading strikes. Series of counters and reversals at a fast pace, and they trade near falls. They fight for position on the turnbuckles. Ciampa off the middle rope with an avalanche of an Air Raid Crash. Somehow, Waller kicks out.
Waller went back to targeting the neck. Ugly landing on an inverted version of a rolling fireman’s carry slam. Waller leapt off the middle rope with a Randy Savage elbow drop. Tope con giro by Waller as he sails over the top rope, but on the follow-up he is caught with a Widow’s Bell. Ciampa then delivers a Fairy Tale Ending, and Ciampa scores a clean three count on Waller.
LA Knight, who apparently still has beef with Waller, was giving his thoughts on the previous match when Knight is interrupted by Joe Gacy. This is weird. Vinny V is right to skip every Joe Gacy segment. Thank god Cameron Grimes is up next. Well, not quite next in the recap, but a plug says Grimes is coming up next on the show.
An ad featuring Stone Cold once again plugs WrestleMania tickets for two nights being on sale. Good luck with that.
The trio of Toxic Attraction in a promo from earlier in the say is joined by Dakota Kai. They pass what they refer to as someone’s “rage room,” which is littered with broken thins. That someone was Kay Lee Ray, who now has an over the top character that is apparently in a constant state of rage. She now breaks a lot of things. Kay Lee Ray was such a bad ass, and now this crappy gimmick. Hopefully she is such a bad ass that she can rise above this new character.
Hair Match Challenge for NXT War Games
Cameron Grimes came to the ring for a promo sporting noticeably shorter hair cut and a trimmed beard after the angle from last week. Tears roll down his face as Grimes begins telling a story of being a growing up in a small town in North Carolina. He was bullied, and people told him he was not good enough. Grimes showed them he was good enough. Grimes showed them that he “holds it down!” Grimes adds that he even got rich.
Grimes went on to say he kept his long hair and beard to remind himself of the times he had nothing. Grimes says Duke Hudson took all that away from him. Hudson humiliated and embarrassed Grimes. Worse than that, Hudson made Grimes angry!
Grimes called out Hudson, challenging him to come meet him in the ring. Hudson appears on the video screen, turning a great segments into a parody of Monday Night Raw. Hudson ridicules Grimes while Grimes yells at Hudson to come fight.
Grimes calls Hudson “gutless and nutless,” and then Grimes challenges Hudson to hair vs. hair match at NXT War Games. Hudson accepts the challenge. Hudson warns Grimes he will take the rest of his hair, and Hudson displays a ziplock bag containing locks of Grimes hair that Hudson cut off next week.
The match appears official for War Games with Grimes and Hudson meeting in a hair match.
Pete Dunne in a promo looks like he is a killer.
Indi Hartwell dedicates the next match to her kayfabe husband, Dexter Lumis.
A vignette previews the NXT debut of Tiffany Stratton. She is a rich woman that can wrestle.
Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter defeated Indi Hartwell & Persia Pirotta
Catanzaro pinned Hartwell to win the match.
Catanzaro and Carter enter the CWC through the crowd like they were Diamond Dallas Page on Monday Nitro. They emerge from the people. Cool tandem moves by Carter and Catanzaro. Combine that with their shiny new gear, and they are clearly getting a renewed push.
Heat on Catanzaro. Hartwell is distracted by thoughts about her husband. She is tagged in, but Hartwell gets into the ring very slowly. She lands some offense, but she remains distracted. Combo electric chair into a splash by Catanzaro and Carter, and Catanzaro covers Hartwell for a pinfall.
Santos Escobar (with Legado del Fantasma) defeated Malik Blade
Escobar pinned Blade after a Phantom Driver. While Blade is given some offense, this is a showcase for Escobar. He returns to action in NXT in dominate fashion. Escobar looked like a sure enough superstar in this match, separating himself from much of the NXT roster.
Elektra Lopez cut a promo after the match with a warning for Xyon Quinn. Legado del Fantasma were interrupted by Kyle O’Reilly and Von Wagner. They argue about who gets a shot at the tag team titles. Out comes Imperium, who are the NXT Tag Team Champions. This was a bad Raw segment that dragged on. Just make the tag match already. Anyway, this all sets up the tag title match at War Games. Imperium faces the winners of a match between O’Reilly and Wagner against Legado del Fantasma.
Raquel Gonzalez, Zoey Stark and Io Shirai were arguing among themselves. Cora Jade shuts them down by saying the co-exist thing is boring outdated. Jade notes that Stark is injured, so they need to focus on finding a fourth partner for their War Games match. Meanwhile, Jade declares she is going to kick butt.
Tony D’Angelo cuts a promo talking about the bets being placed for tonight’s main event.
Cora Jade defeated NXT Women’s Champion Mandy Rose in a non-title match
Jade pinned Rose after a distraction by Kay Lee Ray.
Jade got to shine during the match. The wrestling looked very choreographed. Not the best match in the world, but far from the worst.
Kay Lee Ray came out swinging a bat like she was Casey Jones in a Ninja Turtles reboot. Ray smashed things, which cause a distraction. Jade then rolled up the champion to pin her in a non-title match. Kay Lee Ray smirked in approval.
Later after a commercial break, the babyface War Games team congratulated Jade on her win. Kay Lee Ray entered the scene to say she would be the fourth member of the War Games team. Ray also says she will represent the team in a ladder match next week to determine which team gets the War Games advantage.
LA Knight was entering the CWC for his match against Joe Gacy. Grayson Waller attacks Knight in the aisle, and they have a pull-apart brawl. This looked like a bad spoof of brawls between Mr. Perfect and Shawn Michaels in 1993.
Joe Gacy was left alone in the ring, so he begins to cut a promo. Thankfully, he is interrupted by the entrance of Diamond Mine. Malcolm Bivens tells Gacy to get out of the ring because Ivy Nile has match in the ring up next.
Gacy cuts a dumb promo on NXT Cruiserweight Champion Roderick Strong, who responds by challenging Gacy to a match at NXT War Games. So another match is official for the War Games card.
MSK are still on the road looking for their shaman. They were pulled over by police in a traffic stop. A cop wanted to look in their mysterious bag, but the cop suddenly left. They search for the shaman continues. This was a dumb skit.
Ivy Nile (with Diamond Mine) defeated Yulisa Leon
Nile submitted Leon in am enhancement match. Leon was mauled by Nile, and Nile used a modified Dragon Sleeper. Nile at one point threw a lariat that might make Stan Hansen blush. She looked like a killer.
Knight and Waller were still brawling backstage, just like Curt and Shawn in ’93 (except not good).
Brooks Jensen & Josh Briggs defeated Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake and Zack Gibson)
Jensen pinned Drake after a high/low combo. Grizzled Young Veterans went from a serious tag team to being a comedy duo.
Briggs and Jensen look like an indie version of the Smoking Gunns, because everything on this show must in some way spoof wresting from the 1990s. Meanwhile, Knight and Waller were still brawling backstage during this match. Once again, just like an angle in ’93.
So apparently the match at NXT War Games between Joe Gacy and Roderick Strong is now a Cruiserweight title match. Okay, so weight limits do not matter.
Announced for next Tuesday on NXT is Kay Lee Ray vs. Dakota Kai in a ladder match. Winner gets the War Games advantage for their team.
NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes (with Trick Williams) defeated Pete Dunne and Johnny Gargano in a triple threat match to retain the title
Hayes retains after interference by Tony D’Angelo. Huge brawl erupts after the match.
This was most likely the best match of the night, but it was the hardest to recap. The action was fast and furious.
Lots of spots involving all three, as well as plenty of highspots. Quick pace throughout the match. Hayes did not look too out of place among the two veterans, but the vets have much more poise. Dunne and Gargano are also excellent pro wrestlers.
Gargano was the clear babyface, and he ran wild before a commercial break. They did not let up much during the break, as the pace remained quick. The show returned from the break with all three down selling on the mat. The pace soon quickens once again.
Some cool spots down the stretch that led to near falls. TTrick Williams tried to interfere, but Gargano thwarts him.
Dunne delivers a Bitter End on Gargano, and Dunne goes for a cover. Tony D’Angelo then runs in to pull Dunne out of the ring, breaking up the pin attempt. D’Angelo sends Dunne crashing into the ring steps. Meanwhile, Hayes leaps off the top rope with a guillotine legdrop on Gargano. Hayes then covers Gargano for a three count.
A huge brawl ensues between the new school and the old school of NXT. Knight and Waller are back out there fighting again. Hayes went to Pillmanize the arm of Gargano, much like Hayes did to Lumis on a previous episode. Tommaso Ciampa makes a save swinging a chair. The babyfaces clear the ring and clean house. Knight is apparently a part of the babyface team.
Bron Breakker enters the scene, and he screams “WAR GAMES” as the brawl erupts again. Breakker is clearly a babyfaces, but he joined the heels in fighting the dudes in the ring. So it looks like new school of NXT against old school. WCW did something similar. So did TNA. It pretty much sucked both times. Nevertheless, there appears to be a men’s War Games match.
Final Thoughts
This show was a mixed bag. There was some good, and there was equally some bad. It was clearly a developmental show, but it nevertheless built up matches for the War Games supercard in a few weeks. Some things on the show were cringe, while other segments were fun to watch. The characters have little depth, much like characters on the main roster. Old tired ideas and concepts were rehashed into a more contemporary form. Some things should stay in the past. Let’s move forward. It is not the ’90s, yet this show felt very much like a ’90s wrestling show at times. I liked the ’90s, but we are in a new century.
NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes faced off with a veteran of NXT in non-title action last night.
Pete Dunne defeated Hayes in the main event of last night’s NXT after Johnny Gargano and Dexter Lumis got involved. Lumis took out Trick Williams on the outside, then Gargano distracted Hayes from under the ring. Dunne hit the Bitter End on Hayes to get the win.
It was hyped on commentary that Gargano and Dunne now both look to be coming after Hayes’ North American title.
Hayes & Williams defeated Gargano & Lumis in a tag team match on last week’s NXT, with Hayes hitting Lumis with a shoe leading into the finish.
Hayes and Williams interrupted an interview with Dunne earlier in last night’s show and issued a challenge to him. On Twitter over the weekend, Dunne called Hayes delusional for posting a video where he sent a message to the veterans of NXT. Hayes said he’s “the A champion” and this is his show now.
A new champion will be crowned as NXT’s revamp begins tonight.
With Samoa Joe vacating the NXT Championship due to injury, the winner of a fatal four-way match on tonight’s show will become the new NXT Champion. Pete Dunne, Tommaso Ciampa, Kyle O’Reilly, and LA Knight are facing off in the match.
The four-way match was originally set to decide a challenger for Joe. Dunne, Ciampa, O’Reilly, and Knight had all emerged as potential challengers for the NXT Championship following Joe winning the title from Karrion Kross at NXT TakeOver 36 last month.
The show will also feature the wedding of Indi Hartwell and Dexter Lumis. Plus, Kayden Carter & Kacy Catanzaro will face Gigi Dolin & Jacy Jayne, B-Fab will make her in-ring debut, and Ridge Holland and Julius & Brutus Creed will be in action.
The revamp is being called “NXT 2.0.” It will include NXT’s new logo and a new set making their official debut tonight.
Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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It’s a new day … Yes it is!
Big E of New Day is the WWE Champion, and it is also a new day for NXT. Tonight NXT has a new look, and a new NXT Champion is crowned.
Let the reboot begin. The lead-in on USA Network is the Western movie Tombstone. Pretty sure the lead-in to NXT on USA has never been a Western. Tonight is already different. Not too different in some ways. USA airs an ad for Monday Night Raw just before the NXT show starts.
NXT 2.0 opens with promos from the contenders in the fatal four way match for the NXT Championship. Tommaso Ciampa began by saying tonight is Goldie 2.0. Pete Dunne in a snarling promo says he will put down the other contenders. Kyle O’Reilly talks about being one win away from achieving a goal that is 16 years in the making, and says it’s “about damn time” he wins the NXT title.
LA Knight closes out the opening promos with a shot at former champ Samoa Joe. Knight claimed the medical reason for Joe vacating the title was due to him losing his manhood, because he was scared of Knight. Now three others are stuck in that same spot. Bron Breakker (Bronson Steiner) walks in wearing a signature Steiners singlet. He told Knight he wanted to prove himself. Knight warned Breakker he would “beat the brakes off this cross eyed halfwit.”
The new canned intro featuring music from Wale is an improvement in my opinion. The new graphics are a bright change of pace. Very vibrant. The remodeled set and the new layout of the arena looks much better than the previous soundstage.
Bron Breakker defeated LA Knight
Breakker (Bronson Rechsteiner) upset Knight in the opener to NXT 2.0.
Breakker fittingly looks like a Steiner, especially with his 1990s singlet. Its color pattern matches that of NXT 2.0.
Knight’s new moniker is the “Million Dollar Mega Star.” He works over Breakker at the start of the match, but Breakker soon fights back. Breakker gives Knight a belly-to-belly suplex, but Knight tries to cut him off. Breakker fires up once more to pick Knight up for a gorilla press, and Breakker drops Knight into a powerslam. Breakker then covers Knight for a three count.
NXT roster members are backstage congratulating Breakker on his shocking win.
Jensen & Briggs cut promos in an inset picture tthat woukd have fit it on an episode of Wrestling Challenge in 1987. They got to shine early on and often in this present day match. When Jensen climbs the top rope, but Barthel distracts him. That allows Aichner to give Jensen an avalanche butterfly suplex, and Aichner covers him for a pinfall.
Great promo from Hit Row puts over B-Fab.
B-Fab (with Hit Row) defeated Katrina Cortez
B-Fab pins Cortez in a short enhancement match. Cortez got some offense, until she leapt off the middle rope. B-Fab with a high kick boots Cortez in the face, and B-Fab pins her.
After the match, B-Fab went to cut a promo. She is interrupted by Elektra Lopez, who was again dressed like Carmen Sandiego. Where in the world? She was also flanked by El Legado del Fantasma. Lopez and B-Fab had words with each other.
Austin Theory returns to NXT in a backstage skit with Johnny Gargano, Cameron Grines and Odyssey Jones. Theory surprised Gargano by returning after previously running away. Theory says every wedding needs a priest. So Theory brought Damian Priest with him. Gargano is glad to see him and all, but Priest is not an actually priest that can officiate the wedding. Theory is confused by this.
Breakout turn for Carmelo Hayes
Samantha Irvin interviews the Breakout tournament winner, Carmelo Hayes, in the ring. Hayes says life is great, and he now has “the juice.” But he admits there is a target on his back, so he called a friend to help watch his back. That friend is Trick Williams.
Trick tells Carmelo that he is proud of him, but Trick has a bone to pick with him. Trick says Carmelo is acting too humble, yet Trick claims he and Carmelo are “bouty bouty.” Hayes flips a switch, and he cuts a heel promo proclaiming himself as “The Chosen One.” When ‘Melo shoots, Hayes says he does not miss.
Duke Hudson entered the set ready for a match that was apparently next. Hudson stops on his way to the ring, and Hudson tells Hayes he “got lucky” when Hayes beat Hudson in the tournament. Hudson then saunters past them on his way to the ring.
Trick says stuff like that stops tonight. Trick removes his shirt, and he jumps Hudson. Hayes joins in on giving Hudson a beatdown.
Mandy Rose has a new look she is debuting tonight.
Kayden Carter & Kacy Catanzaro defeated Gigi Dolan & Jacy Jayne via disqualification
Mandy Rose ran in for a DQ.
During the match it was TO THE BACK like an old episode of Impact. Pete Dunne and Ridge Holland jump Kyle O’Reilly in a sneak attack backstage. Meanwhile, the women’s tag match rolls on until Mandy Rose runs in.
Rose is dressed in all black from her cut-off shorts to her leather jacket and boots. Rose was also wearing a beanie on her head, waiting for the big reveal. She attacks Catanazaro, and the referee calls for the bell.
The big reveals comes when Rose showing her new hair color. Out with the blond, Rose in now a brunette.
Sarray ran in to run off the heel trio. This leads to a trios match.
Mandy Rose, Gigi Dolan & Jacy Jayne defeated Sarray, Kayden Carter & Kacy Catanzaro
Rose covered Carter to win the six-woman tag match. Rose also faced off with Sarray during the match, but their issues remain unsettled.
The heels work over Catanzaro, proverbially cutting the ring in half. Hot tag to Carter, and she runs wild. Rose fed into her, and Carter got a nearfall. Jayne jumps in to break up the count with a superkick. A melee ensues. When the smoke settles Sarray is facing off with Rose.
Rose has beef with Sarray due to the injury angle from a few weeks ago. Rose was getting vengeance when Carter cuts her off. Carter is briefly distracted trying to dodge an attack by Jayne. That allows Rose to strike. Rose delivers a knee strike, ans she covers Carter for a pinfall.
A commercial tie-in with an insurance company promotes WWE Women’s Champion Raquel Gonzalez.
William Regal is joined by interview correspondent McKenzie Mitchell for an announcement about the main event. Kyle O’Reilly is out of the fatal four way. Replacing O’Reilly in the title match is Von Wagner (Cal Bloom), who by the way is the son of retired pro wrestler Wayne Bloom. No relation to Dr. Wagner.
Ridge Holland defeated Drake Maverick (with Grayson Waller)
Holland pins Maverick in a glorified squash match.
Holland mauls Maverick. The underdog tries to fight back, but to no avail. Northern Grit by Holland, and he covers Maverick for an easy three count.
Ciampa in a backstage promo mentions it has been 908 days since Ciampa had Goldie, which is his pet name for the NXT Championship belt.
Tony D’Angelo is coming soon to NXT. In a vignette he talks about being in the mafia without saying he is the mafia. D’Angelo mentions his great amateur wrestling background, but that does not pay. He is now in the family business. D’Angelo is also coming to NXT, where he says the money is at.
Julius & Brutus Creed (with Diamond Mine) defeated Dan Jarmon & Trevor Skelly
The Creed Brothers won handily in another squash match.
Slower pace than their debut where they pummeled two enhancement wrestlers. Make no mistake, they pummel two job guys this week, just more slowly. They took their time more so this week.
In a post-match promo, the Diamond Mine get into the ring. Malcolm Bivens introduces the audience to the newest member of Diamond Mine. She is Ivy Nile.
NXT Cruiserweight Champion Kushida interrupts Bivens promo to tell Bivens they talk too much. Bivens challenges Kushida to a title match against Roderick Strong. Kushida accepts the challenge, thus making a title match for next week.
Tommaso Ciampa defeated Pete Dunne, LA Knight and Von Wagner in fatal four way to win the vacant NXT Championship
Ciampa won the title after pinning Knight in a really good match. Started out like a standard WWE fatal four way, but got much better from there.
Similar to other fatal four ways in WWE, it starts with two wrestlers ending up outside the ring so two could face off in the ring. At least at first things were typical, as the match gets wilder as it goes on.
Wagner looks like a powerhouse. He got to shine just before the show cut to a commercial break. Knight during the break took out Wagner by sending him crashing into the ring steps. Not for long as Wagner was soon back in the ring.
Highspots galore with everybody getting to look strong at some point or another. Lots of action and a quick pace throughout. Ciampa executed a Widow’s Bell on LA Knight for a near fall, and Ciampa followed up that with a corkscrew flip dive over the ropes to the outside.
Wagner with an Olympic slam on Dunne for a close two count. That would not be his only near fall. Another came just before the finish. Knight is able to give Dunne a superplex, only for Wagner to jump in with a suplex on Knight for another two count. Ciampa punts Wagner to break up the count.
Fairy Tale Ending finisher by Ciampa, and he covers Knight. 1…2…3.
“Goldie is coming home,” proclaims Vic Joseph on commentary. No wonder Goldie was mentioned so much by that name throughout the show. Nice touch to remind viewers of the name.
While the title match was billed as the main event, the wedding is closing the show.
The wedding of In-Dex
NXT roster members file in as guests to the wedding. Johnny Gargano, playing the father figure, walks Indi Hartwell down the aisle. As the ceremony begins we learn some middle names. Lumis’ full name is Dexter Gaylord Lumis, and Hartwell’s full name is Indi Ophelia Hartwell.
The official presiding over the ceremony does the “dearly beloved” routine, and then he asks who is here to give Hartwell away. Gargano begins to cut a promo, but Candice LeRae has to stop him. Gargano ask Austin Theory is if he has the rings. Theory says “we’re in a ring, silly.”
Ikemen Jiro stands up wearing his flashy sports jacket and trunk. Almost everyone in the ring raises their hand. Lumis looks around while opening his coat to reveal a hatchet. Everyone puts their hand down.
Hartwell reads her vows. She tells Lumis he is misunderstood, and many people see him as a creep. She sees him as her “cuddly teddy bear.” Some people see Lumis as a stalker. What she sees is a “caring man with a well-groomed mustache, and tight clothes that never takes his eyes off me.” She says Lumis is called a freak.
“Damn right he’s a freak.” Indi says. “Dexter’s my freak,” Indi says. She goes to say she remembers that night he climbed into the Gargano’s house late at night.
Lumis quickly covers the microphone, cutting off Indi’s story. Gargano is in disbelief. Indi says Dexter is cute when he is upset like that. She also put him over for never losing a staring contest. She says they understand each other, and she loves him. The guests pop with applause.
Now it was Dexter’s turn to recite his vows. The crowd is hushed. The building grows quiet at the notion that Lumis may deliver a spoken word. Lumis instead gives a thumbs up.
The wedding officiant calls out Lumis, saying Hartwell poured her heart out to him. He cannot believe Lumis has nothing to say. The officiant is now causing a scene. Is his name Ken?
Lumis snatches the officiant in a chokehold, and Lumis puts him to sleep in the middle of the ceremony. This is the equivalent to a ref bump in a wedding, and a first for me. Never seen such in all my days. What in tarnation? The man presiding over the wedding is choked out.
Gargano starts a chant for William Regal, urging Regal to preside over the wedding. Regal looks mortified at the thought.
Beth Phoenix jumps into the ring. She has history in this storyline, as she helped play matchmaker. Phoenix in the past urged Hartwell to make a move on Lumis. Now they are getting married and Phoenix is saving their relationship once again. Phoenix has been a strong supporter of In-Dex.
Phoenix says she got ordained as a minister, so she can now preside over the ceremony. Phoenix says lets cut to the chase. Andre Chase stand up to interrupt. He is taken out by a nerve hold from Odyssey Jones.
Hartwell says her “I do” when Phoenix asks her. Phoenix asks Lumis. Long pause. Phoenix says we can take that as a “yes” from Lumis, but Lumis grabs the mic. Lumis says “I do,” and the crowd goes wild.
Phoenix pronounces them husband and wife. “You may kiss the bride.” The couple kiss for a happy ending.
New NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa is watching the wedding from a backstage monitor. He is approached by Bron Breakker. They shake hands in a show of respect, yet the moment is tense. They have an awkward staredown as the show fades to black.
The wedding ended on a happy note, which is very unlike the chaos of wrestling weddings of the past. If viewers on USA Network still wanted to see a wedding end in chaos, they could have stuck around after NXT. Tombstone was the lead-in before NXT, and the movie aired again on USA Network after NXT went off the air. The movie opens with the heel faction ruining a wedding, after NXT had closed their show with a happy wedding.
