Below, we have the NXT results from the Tuesday, December 14th show, along with highlights and headlines coming from tonight.
NXT Results, highlights and headlines from last week’s show
WWE NXT Results 12/14
Cameron Grimes def. Duke Hudson in a No Rules Barred Match
Dakota Kai and Cora Jade Promo: Kai warns Jade of letting Gonzalez getting too close
Grayson Waller Promo: He seized his moment last week, just like Johnny Gargano taught him
Lashing Out w/ Lash Legend: Jacket Time will use Style Strong to beat the Grizzled Young Veterans this week
Ivy Nile def. Amari Miller
Briggs & Jensen Go to a Concert
Von Wagner Promo: Last week was just the first body he’s gonna break, and next week he’s going to “beat em up, smash them down”.
Harland w/ Joe Gacy wins squash match
MSK Get Scooters from Riddle
LA Knight Promo: If Grayson Waller wants attention so bad, he’ll give him all of his
Cora Jade def. Dakota Kai. Jade attacked by Toxic Attraction afterwards
Tony D’Angelo def. Andre Chase, Pete Dunne attacks Tony D and reclaims mouthguard
Boa def. Edris Enofe
Jacket Time def. Grizzled Young Veterans
Bron Breakker def. Roderick Strong. Tommaso Ciampa attacks Breakker to close the show
NXT Highlights From 12/14
Grayson Waller is a Bastard
One week after Waller was the man who beat down Johnny Gargano on his way out of NXT, and you knew he was going to get nuclear heat. This segment was simple, but I still think Waller made the most of his latest push thank to Gargano. Waller had to speak over “Asshole” and “Shut the hell up” chants throughout his promo, even showing a replay of his attack from last week and some angry tweets he’s received from the angle.
But the part that put it over the top for me was Waller quoting Gargano’s farewell speech, saying he told everyone to seize their moment and that’s what he did. He also only cemented his character as someone who only cares about his own spotlight, and every kind of attention, whether positive or negative is worth it. Having everyone backstage give him a talking down basically was overbeating the egg a bit, but it also underlined how big Waller’s crime was as well. Waller needs to be pushed hard now, because his character and heat are about as good as anyone in wrestling. Don’t get me wrong though, he can still frick off.
The Women’s Division Delivers Again
The women’s division has been a consistent highlight booking-wise since NXT 2.0 got rolling, and tonight they continued in that direction. Yes, at times it can feel like too many cooks in the kitchen, with nearly every female superstar hovering around the championship scene, but that is to be expected coming out of War Games too.
Cora Jade is the plucky underdog, Raquel Gonzalez is the brutal fighter looking for her belt back and Dakota Kai is doing a great job as the unhinged psycho who can’t seem to get past Gonzalez. And above them all are the dominant heels of Toxic Attraction, whose gimmick of everyone else being obsessed with them really ties together this championship scene. The match between Kai and Jade wasn’t anything special, but it forwarded two stories and unlike almost every other wrestling show on TV, there are multiple meaningful storylines on every episode of NXT for the women. Let’s hope they continue this emphasis and give each of these storylines space to breath going forward as well.
NXT Lowlights From 12/14
Get Von Wagner a Manager ASAP
The dude can’t talk, man. I’ve been trying to give Wagner some grace as he learns his craft, but wrestling is about maximizing strengths and covering up the flaws of your roster. So why the hell is Wagner still cutting his own promos? He has a great look, a mix of bruiser and psycho, and is pretty solid already in the ring. But, he has as much charisma as those trees he insists on chopping down.
As the guy who took out Kyle O’Reilly, he’s going to get a lot of love on NXT and has been a major recipient of a push already, so they can’t be okay with how rigid he is on the mic. Again, it’s one thing to need more time, but it’s been so consistently bad for Wagner’s mic work that change needs to happen in his presentation, and it should have already to be honest. Give that guy Robert Stone or Malcom Bivens and see the rest of his act shine in contrast.
Who Thought Skits were Cool?
NXT 2.0 has incorporated skits almost every week, but this week the stupidity of a couple in particular really sabotaged the show for me a bit. First, after I complimented MSK’s shaman experience, they did the same damn segment! It was just Matt Riddle giving them more advice, saying they needed to dig deeper while giving them scooters out of a Mary Poppins bag. Last week, they already established they needed to refocus on the tag titles, and we added another unnecessary five minutes of fifth grade humor.
Then, Jensen & Briggs, whose whole act is just loving fighting remember, WENT TO A COUNTRY MUSIC CONCERT!? Why would you choose to book that?? What did it do besides make them a little more unlikeable, as they made weird moves on Kayden and Kaci? Not to mention it didn’t even look like they had that great a time! On a show that is as bloated as NXT 2.0, you need to trim the fat, and this did nothing for anyone involved.
Cutting these two idiotic segments adds at least 10 minutes to use in actual stories.
NXT Headlines
WWE was headlined last week by the departure of three superstars — Johnny Gargano and Kyle O’Reilly from NXT and WWE legend Jeff Hardy. Gargano is rumored to truly be a free agent currently, with his plans for the future yet to be determined, while most think O’Reilly will sign with AEW.
Hardy is the real question mark in all of this, as Hardy was released in what reports state was a reaction to refusal to reenter a rehab facility. Jeff Hardy himself has seemed to indicate he is in no need of help on social media, and his brother Matt Hardy has even insinuated Jeff may be signed to AEW. No matter what the exact facts of the situation are, we wish Jeff Hardy all of the best and hope he gets any help he needs.
