The John Report: WWE NXT 09/19/23 Review
This week’s WWE NXT featured Carmelo Hayes in action against Dominik Mysterio in a match between two champions, plus Becky Lynch in the main event and more.
Last week’s NXT show saw Becky Lynch beat Tiffany Stratton to become the NXT Women’s Champion. It was announced by WWE that Lynch will start off this week’s episode of NXT.
I will do summary style for most of the show and play-by-play for one or two matches.
This episode is taking place at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. Follow me on Twitter/X @johnreport. My WWE NXT Review archive is here. Let’s get to it.
It was Vic Joseph and Booker T on commentary as usual.
The opening video was a replay of Becky Lynch beating Tiffany Stratton last week on NXT. Lynch won clean with a Manhandle Slam to become the NXT Women’s Champion.
Let’s Hear from Becky Lynch
Becky Lynch said that “The Man has come around to N-Bex-T” with the fans cheering her. Lynch said that she brings the fight every damn night. Lynch went on to do a promo mentioning the names of NXT women while also rhyming her words. I’m not going to summarize all of it, but I thought it was weak even though Lynch did pull it off. I’d say it’s better to avoid that stuff.
Lynch spoke about how “Tiffy Time” is over so the fans chanted “Becky Time” because the fans can’t go 30 seconds without chanting something. Lynch said that Stratton pushed Lynch to her limit and she earned a rematch. Lynch said that Stratton may be an idiot and arsehole but she is…here’s the interruption.
Tiffany Stratton arrived saying she was getting a rematch and she deserved a rematch. Stratton knows that Lynch is The Man and a WrestleMania main eventer, but she is Tiffany Stratton. Stratton suggested they do the rematch tonight, so the fans chanted “YES” and Stratton said it’s not happening tonight. Stratton says she wants her rematch on a bigger stage at NXT No Mercy in Bakersfield, California.
Lynch said that Stratton could have her rematch when she wanted. Lynch said that the result will be the same because Stratton isn’t hungry enough. Lynch spoke about how she’s seen this before with somebody coming after her that’s entitled. Lynch said this NXT has the same feel as the same NXT she came up in. Lynch said after ten years here, she still wants it here.
Stratton said that Lynch only returned to NXT because Stratton mentioned her name. Stratton referenced Lynch’s feud with Trish Stratus saying Lynch was interested in fighting people in the retirement home.
Lynch said enough of word for word, so let’s go punch for punch. Lynch attacked Stratton with punches, but then Kiana James showed up to hold Lynch. Stratton had a chair that was never going to connect, but it was just done so Lynch could kick her in the gut. Lynch punched both women to knock them down. Stratton bailed to the floor. Lynch swung a chair at James, who ducked it and left. Lynch stood tall.
Analysis: It was smart to start the show with Becky Lynch and make it clear that Tiffany Stratton would get a rematch. This will obviously set up a match for later in the show too. There was a problem, though. I like Becky as much as anybody, but the rhyming promo is a big miss. It’s the kind of thing that people share on social media about a product being lame when in fact NXT has been a lot better this year. I’m not sure if it was Lynch’s idea or the writers, but I assume the writers. Anyway, Lynch doesn’t need to do that kind of stuff. Don’t be too cheesy, NXT brand. You don’t need to be that way.
The NXT Tag Team Champions Tony D’Angelo & Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo were looking at photos of possible tag team challengers. They spoke about the teams saying they would let them fight it out to see who is worthy.
Ilja Dragunov was interviewed by Mckenzie Mitchell saying at No Mercy he’ll finish what happened at the Great American Bash. Dragunov said he’ll watch Carmelo’s match with Dominik Mysterio.
Becky Lynch walked into the picture saying they she can go 2 on 1 with Tiffany and Kiana in the main event later tonight.
Butch made his entrance for the NXT Global Heritage Invitational match.
(Commercial)
Trick Williams was backstage where NXT North American Champion “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio walked up to him. Dominik said that The Judgment Day helped him shine on his own when he got out of his dad’s shadow and told Trick that they could do it for him. Trick said that nothing and no one can drive a wedge between the Trick Melo game. Dominik said he used to say the same thing about his dad. Dom left.
It’s official for NXT No Mercy: Becky Lynch will defend the NXT Women’s Title against Tiffany Stratton.
Noam Dar and his Meta-Four group were watching from the stage in the back part of the building.
NXT Global Heritage Invitational – Group A: Butch vs. Tyler Bate
Bate has four points in the group while Butch has three points, so if Butch wins he’ll win the group. These guys know eachother very well. These matches have a 12-minute time limit.
It was fast-paced early with Butch avoiding the Bate punch early, but then Bate connected with the lefty punch. Butch stomped on Bate’s foot leading to a hard punch to the face. They battled by the turnbuckle where Bate hit a delayed vertical superplex off the middle rope for two.
(Commercial)
Butch was in control with forearms to the face. Bate got a nearfall after a bridging belly-to-back suplex. Bate spun Butch around on his shoulders followed by a brainbuster for two. Butch countered Bate into his own Tyler Driver 97 for two. Bate countered a Bitter End with a DDT and Bate his own version of a Bitter End for a two count. Bate bounced off the ropes with a clothesline with less than one minute left. Bate went for a twisting splash off the ropes, but Butch got his knees up and Butch hit Bitter End. Butch hit a sitout Michinoku Driver called the Better End for the pinfall win with 10 seconds left, so it was 11:50.
Winner by pinfall: Butch
Analysis: ***1/2 These guys are really talented and had a very entertaining match that could have gone either way. There was a lot of drama toward the finish with Butch trying to get the win before the time expired and he managed to do it. Bate hitting Butch’s finisher and vice versa was a nice idea as well. Butch pulled out the win with the different version of his finisher.
Butch and Bate hugged after the match.
Group A Standings of NXT Global Heritage Invitational:
Butch 2 wins – 1 draws – 0 losses = 5 points
Tyler Bate 2 – 0 – 1 = 4 points
Axiom 0 – 1 – 1 = 1 point
Charlie Dempsey 0 – 0 – 2 = 0 points.
That means Butch wins Group A and faces the winner of Group B next week.
There was a video package featuring Jacy Jayne and Thea Hail, who said she’s not a little kid any more, so she needs a wardrobe change. The video featured Jayne throwing clothes at Hail to try different outfits on. They left with shopping bags with Jacy saying she can’t wait until everybody gets to see the new Thea Hail. Thea was happy about it.
Analysis: Riveting television. It’s a wacky NXT skit. They like doing stuff like that. It’s character development for Hail.
Duke Hudson entered for a match with Andre Chase by his side.
(Commercial)
NXT Global Heritage Invitational – Group B: Joe Coffey (w/Wolfgang & Mark Coffey) vs. Duke Hudson (w/Andre Chase)
Going into this match, Joe has 4 points, Nathan Frazer has 4 points and Duke has 2 points while Tozawa has 0 points. That means Frazer needs Duke to win, but if Joe wins then Joe wins the group.
Duke got the momentum early with a running shoulder tackle and even did a hurricanrana, which was a nice surprise. Joe came back with a stun gun sending Duke throat-first into the top rope. Joe hit a backbreaker on his bigger opponent. After Duke got some momentum, Joe bailed to the floor and tackled Duke into the side of the ring. Back in the ring, Joe hit a missile dropkick. Joe hit a German Suplex. Duke got back up and hit a ROLLUP OF DEATH~! for the pinfall win. It went four minutes.
Winner by pinfall: Duke Hudson
Analysis: ** It was a lot shorter than the Butch-Bate match. They had a physical match with some impressive power shown by both guys. Joe was on offense for the second half of the match, yet all it took was one ROLUP OF DEATH~! from Hudson to get the win. The move is deadly, after all.
Group B Standings of NXT Global Heritage Invitational:
Joe Coffey 2 wins – 0 draws – 1 losses = 4 points
Nathan Frazer 2 wins – 0 draws – 1 losses = 4 points
Duke Hudson 2 wins – 0 draws – 1 losses = 4 points
Akira Tozawa 0 – 0 – 3 = 0 points.
That means it’s a three-way tie for first place.
Nathan Frazer was interviewed by Kelly Kincaid with Frazer saying he’s got life in this tournament. Frazer said it makes sense to have a triple threat match next week. Kelly told Frazer that the triple threat tiebreaker is happening tonight. Frazer left because he has to go get ready.
Analysis: That’s a simple way to settle the tie quickly.
Roxanne Perez entered for singles action.
(Commercial)
A video aired about Mr. Stone visiting Von Wagner at the hospital saying he saw him and it’s not looking good. They appreciate the well wishes.
Roxanne Perez vs. Lola Vice (w/Elektra Lopez)
Vice was in control early working on the left arm and stomping on Perez’s back. Vice pulled back on Perez’s left arm to weaken the former champion. Vice grounded Perez with an armbar. Perez made the comeback with a dropkick along with a running forearm. Vice had Perez trapped Perez in an armbar on the mat, but Perez pushed back on it and pinned Vice to win after four minutes.
Winner by pinfall: Roxanne Perez
Analysis: **1/4 It was a solid match for the time given. Perez is one of the best women in NXT despite being so young and she’s really good at selling as a babyface. Vice is improving quickly considering her experience level. If Vice is in the NXT Women’s Breakout Tournament then she might be the winner.
Dominik Mysterio and Carmelo Hayes were each shown walking backstage ahead of their match.
(Commercial)
A video aired about Eddy Thorpe with a message for Dijak. Thorpe said Dijak insulted his people and desecrated his land. Thorpe challenged Dijak to a Strap Match on NXT next week.
Becky Lynch was shown in the women’s locker room with Roxanne Perez walking up to her. Lynch encouraged Perez to keep kicking ass. Perez said she can team with Lynch tonight. Lynch told Perez to get some ice on that shoulder and Lynch said she’s got this.
Dominik Mysterio vs. Carmelo Hayes
It’s NXT North American Champion “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio facing NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes. It’s a Champion vs. Champion match, but there is no title on the line. Ilja Dragunov was on commentary.
I’ll go play-by-play here. Dominik attacked before Melo was ready. Melo came back with a springboard clothesline and the bell rang to start the match. Melo hit a dropkick. Dominik bailed to the floor. Melo slid out after him and Dominik sent him into the barricade. Back in the ring, Melo had Dominik trapped against the ropes leading to a Fadeaway leg drop by Hayes off the ropes. Melo jumped on Dominik’s back, spun around and drove Dominik into the mat. Dominik bailed to the floor, so that led to a break.
(Commercial)
Dominik was in control with a vertical suplex, but Melo blocked a second attempt leading to Melo hitting a Cutter. Melo with a jawbreaker a slam for a two count. Dominik tried to leave the ring again, but Melo brought him back in. Dominik hit a DDT on Melo for two. Dominik sent Melo into the middle rope leading to Dominik hitting a 619 kick. Dominik went up top, but Melo moved to avoid a splash and Melo hit double knees for the lung blower. Melo went up top, but Dominik knocked him down. Melo and Dominik were battling on the floor with Melo sending Dominik into Dragunov. When they got up, Dominik pulled Melo into Dragunov. Dominik went up to Dragunov and slapped him in the face. Dragunov went into the ring and punched Dominik in the back to cause the DQ finish. It went about 9 minutes.
Winner by disqualification: Dominik Mysterio
Analysis: **3/4 It wasn’t some epic encounter between two champions, but it was still a good match between two of the top guys in NXT. It furthered the story between Melo and Dragunov with Dominik also slapping Dragunov to get him angry. I think booking a finish without either champion losing the match by getting pinned is an easy way out to keep them both strong.
Post match, Dragunov kicked Dominik and hit a jumping forearm smash. Dragunov charged with an uppercut, but Dominik moved and Dragunov hit Hayes instead. Dragon Lee snuck up behind Dominik and hit him with a superkick on the floor. Melo stared at Dragunov in the ring.
Analysis: The Dragunov/Hayes match at Great American Bash was one of the best NXT matches of the year, so I look forward to the rematch.
Trick Williams was approached by Joe Gacy and Ava. They spoke about Trick being alone without Melo. Gacy said that they know what Trick is going through and they can help him. Trick said he didn’t want anything to do with them. Gacy said that Trick is charismatic, if only Carmelo took him up on that offer. Ava said “some best friend, huh?” They left while Trick was left to think about it.
Duke Hudson was in the locker room with Andre Chase. They spoke about Duke’s upcoming second match. Chase fired up Duke speaking about how everybody is behind him ready to deliver an ass whooping and Duke was fired up.
Nathan Frazer made his entrance for his triple threat match.
(Commercial)
A video aired with Scrypts (Reggie) hanging out with Lucien Price and Bronco Nima playing some dice in a game where they won money. They talked about beating the competition. Scrypts said they were true hustlers that make it happen.
Hank & Tank were interviewed by Mckenzie Mitchell. They said they were there to feast on the tag team division.
NXT Global Heritage Invitational Group B Tiebreaker: Joe Coffey (w/Wolfgang & Mark Coffey) vs. Duke Hudson (w/Andre Chase) vs. Nathan Frazer
The winner wins Group B. Joe took down Frazer with a running cross body block. Hudson launched Frazer into the air leading to Frazer crashing to the mat for a two count. Frazer hit a running dropkick knocking both guys out of the ring. Frazer hit a suicide dive onto both guys on the floor. Hudson hit a uranage slam on Frazer, but Joe tripped up Hudson and pulled him into the ring post to crotch Duke. Ouch.
(Commercial)
The match returned with Joe getting some offense on Frazer, but Hudson went for a rollup on Joe for a two count. That was how Hudson beat Joe earlier in the night. Hudson got another two count on Joe with a sidewalk slam. Frazer hit a reverse DDT and DDT on both guys at the same time. Hudson hit an impressive German Suplex on Frazer, who took a moonsault bump to flip over. Hudson hit a spinning sidewalk slam on Frazer for two. Duke sent Joe out of the ring and Frazer hit a hurricanrana to spike Hudson. Frazer hit a Phoenix Splash on Hudson. Joe sent Frazer out of the ring and Joe hit a spinning lariat on Hudson for the pinfall win. It went 12 minutes.
Winner by pinfall: Joe Coffey
Analysis: ***1/4 That was an exciting, fast-paced match. Since there was a big reward for the winner, they made the point to have each guy going for pinfalls throughout the match. They were going for pins the whole time and it made the match more fun to watch. I thought it could go either way really. I like how Joe won as a crafty veteran who took out Frazer and finished off Duke for the win.
That means that in the NXT Global Heritage Invitational finals, Joe Coffey will face Butch next week. The winner of that match faces Noam Dar for the Global Heritage Cup at No Mercy.
Analysis: I think Butch will beat Joe Coffey, but Dar will beat Butch at No Mercy.
Mustafa Ali was interviewed by Mckenzie Mitchell. Ali said he was the rightful number one contender for the NXT North American Championship. Ali said he was watching Raw saying Dominik Mysterio defends the title against Dragon Lee next week on Raw. Ali wondered how the guy he beat gets a title shot before him. Ali claimed he’s going to deal with both of them next week on Raw.
Analysis: Ali made valid points. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Dominik/Dragon match on Raw has a cheap finish, which leads to Dominik-Ali-Dragon at No Mercy instead of a singles match.
Kiana James and Tiffany Stratton were shown chatting in their locker room. They both despise Becky Lynch, so they will do some serious damage together. Stratton claimed she had a surprise and she’ll tell James on the way.
Becky Lynch was shown pacing in the locker room with her match up next.
(Commercial)
A video aired about Josh Briggs, Brooks Jensen & Fallon Henley arguing with Briggs saying that Myles Borne cost them last week and it is Henley’s fault. Baron Corbin walked up to them telling them to keep it down so he can enjoy his massage. Briggs mocked Corbin for getting beat up by Bron Breakker and they exchanged words. That will probably lead to a match.
Carmelo Hayes was shown leaving saying next week he’ll let Ilja Dragunov know where he stands.
Next week on NXT:
* Carmelo Hayes and Ilja Dragunov have a contract signing
* Trick Williams vs. Joe Gacy
* Gigi Dolin vs. Blair Davenport
* Strap Match: Eddy Thorpe vs. Dijak
* Butch vs. Joe Coffey in the Global Heritage Invitational Finals
* Hank & Tank vs. Bronco Nima & Lucien Price
That lineup isn’t as strong as some weeks.
Becky Lynch made her entrance as the NXT Women’s Champion. Tiffany Stratton & Kiana James attacked Lynch in the aisle, so that was the surprise Stratton mentioned. They went into the ring with Stratton and James stomping on Lynch. Lyra Valkyria ran out for the save as she cleaned house with Lynch. Valkyria and Lynch brought the heels back in the ring to make this a tag team match.
Analysis: Becky and Lyra are both Irish. They had a quick backstage segment last week. It makes sense for them to be a team.
Becky Lynch & Lyra Valkyria vs. Tiffany Stratton & Kiana James
Lynch started by ramming James’ head into the top turnbuckle repeatedly. Stratton tagged in with Lynch avoiding a splash and delivering a kick. Lyra tagged in with a trip leading to Lynch hitting a leg drop. James tagged in, Lynch made a blind tag and hit a bulldog for two. Lynch sent James out of the ring followed by a baseball slide kick. Lynch with a forearm on James while Lyra kicked Stratton to the floor as the show went to break.
(Commercial)
Stratton tripped up Lynch while Lynch was on the middle turnbuckle. James grounded Lynch with a chinlock. Lynch came back with punches, but James blocked a kick to knock Lynch down. Stratton tagged in, went for a corner attack and Lynch avoided it. Lyra tagged in against James with kicks along with a double cross body block. Lyra kicked Stratton out of the ring. Lyra hit a Northern Lights Suplex on James for two because Stratton broke up the pin attempt. Lyra and Lynch each delivered punches, kicks and middle turnbuckle leg drops to their opponents. Lyra got a two count on James. Stratton tripped up Lyra on the turnbuckle. Lynch went after Stratton, so Stratton sent Lynch into the ring post. James hit a Powerbomb on Lyra. Stratton went up top and hit a Swanton Bomb on Lyra for two because Lynch made the save. Lynch got the tag against James with Lynch hitting a missile dropkick. Lynch hit a DDT/reverse DDT combo similar to what we saw earlier in the show and Lynch got a two count. Lynch went for the armbar, James got out of it and James kicked Lynch into the turnbuckle. Lyra got the tag, Lynch hit a Manhandle Slam and Lyra hit a Superfly Splash off the top on James for the pinfall win after 12 minutes.
Winners by pinfall: Becky Lynch & Lyra Valkyria
Analysis: *** A pretty good main event match with the faces working well together. It elevates Lyra a bit to team with Lynch in a match like that. I’m not surprised that James got pinned instead of Stratton, who is getting a title rematch in a few weeks.
After the match, Stratton hit Lynch in the back with a steel chair. Stratton also hit Lyra with a chair to knock her out of the ring. Lynch had to bend down forward so Stratton could do more chair shots to the back. Stratton posed with the NXT Women’s Title over Lynch. Stratton left.
Lynch grabbed the microphone to say if that’s how you want to play then Lynch will face Stratton in an Extreme Rules Match at No Mercy. Lynch held up her title in the ring. The show ended there.
Analysis: I like that addition to the Lynch-Stratton match. If you are going to do a rematch, there should be a stipulation to make it stand out even more. An Extreme Rules match means there are weapons obviously, so that will be interesting to see how Stratton does in that kind of settling while Lynch is very experienced in matches like that. It should be great.
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Three Stars of the Show
- Becky Lynch
- Tiffany Stratton
- Butch/Joe Coffey
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The Scoreboard
This week: 7.25 out of 10
Last week: 8
2023 Average: 7.03
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Final Thoughts
I thought it was a good show for the most part. There was a lot of Becky Lynch since she started and finished the episode. As I wrote in the review, the goofy rhyming promo by Lynch to start was a bad idea. That’s the kind of thing that will lead to negative attention for the brand even though the product is good. People will share that clip on social media, think that’s what NXT really is and put a bad light on the product. I’ve seen it happen. That kind of silly promo isn’t necessary. Lynch teaming with Lyra Valkyria to beat Tiffany & Kiana in the main event was a good match.
The Global Heritage Invitational matches were really fun to watch, especially the Butch/Tyler Bate match. Those guys have amazing chemistry together. I thought the Joe Coffey/Duke Hudson/Nathan Frazer match was also structured really well and had an exciting finish.
They do a nice job of building stories on NXT while utilizing the majority of the roster. I like the card for No Mercy at this point.
The next NXT Premium Live Event is No Mercy on September 30th. Here’s what we know so far:
* NXT Championship: Carmelo Hayes (c) vs. Ilja Dragunov
* NXT Women’s Championship Extreme Rules Match: Becky Lynch (c) vs. Tiffany Stratton
* NXT North American Championship: Dominik Mysterio (c) vs. Mustafa Ali
* Bron Breakker vs. Baron Corbin
* NXT Heritage Cup Championship: Noam Dar vs. Butch or Joe Coffey
You can watch NXT No Mercy on Saturday, September 30, streaming live at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Peacock in the United States and WWE Network everywhere else.
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Thanks for reading. Go Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Rams. My contact info is below.
John Canton
Email mrjohncanton@gmail.com
Twitter/X @johnreport