WWE NXT – August 15th, 2023 (Performance Center, Orlando- Florida/ USA)

NXT kicks off this week with the reigning NXT Tag Team Champions. Tony D’Angelo and Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo find themselves in the ring before Schism follow them. They are joined by masked followers of all shapes and sizes. After the official announcements by Alicia Taylor, the first match of the evening, begins.

The Dyad is attacked again! Are the Creed Brothers back from their “vacation”?

•NXT Tag Team Championship: Tony D’Angelo & Channing” Stacks” Lorenzo (c) defeat The Dyad (Jagger Reid & Rip Fowler, w/ Joe Gacy & Ava) via Pinfall by Tony D’Angelo on Rip Fowler after the Back Suplex Side Slam•

Before the finish, Ivy Nile entered the stage and created a distraction for The Dyad’s companions who got in her way. At the same time, two hooded individuals in Schism masks jumped out from the audience and attacked The Dyad with actions reminiscent of the Creed Brothers.

Gacy and Ava were unaware of this, and in the ring Tony D’Angelo and Stacks had an easy time taking the victory.

-Hoka-Hey! Eddy Thorpe continues to prepare for a match with Dijak using the methods of his ancestors. He will face the match without fear.

-Carmelo Hayes takes care of his fans and signs numerous autographs. He is visited by Wes Lee, who complains about not being able to reach the NXT Champion, because he doesn’t seem to have time, but at the same time he wouldn’t train, but sign pictures.

Hayes explains that Lee should rather focus on Dijak, who is still standing in his way, and come back afterwards, should he aim for the NXT Championship, which Lee promises to do.

-Andre Chase and Duke Hudson talk backstage about getting Thea Hail back on track. Chase explains he got Thea a match tonight against Jacy Jayne, allowing her to get a win and take out her frustrations.

Hudson thinks this is a great idea as Thea Hail joins in. The latter inquires what the two have discussed and Chase opens up to her about the plans. Hail, however, is anything but enthusiastic, especially accusing Chase of not knowing what is best for her, yet trying to make decisions for her. Duke Hudson changes sides and agrees with his fellow student. Chase tries to justify himself, but Thea doesn’t really want to hear it, she just demands Chase not throw in the towel this time and leaves the area.

Afterwards, Chase confronts Hudson about why he stabbed him in the back like that, but the latter is not aware of any guilt and rather sets out to calm Thea down and prepare her.

Protégé saves mentor from wrong decision and thus costs the match?!

•Blair Davenport def. Dana Brooke (w/ Kelani Jordan) via Pinfall after a Kamigoye Knee Strike•

During the match, Brooke tried to take possession of the ring bell and use it against Davenport, but Kelani Jordan got in between and prevented worse.

Davenport quickly disappears from the ring and celebrates her victory on stage while Jordan helps Brooke back to her feet in the ring.

-Carmelo Hayes is still signing autograph cards when a giant paw blocks the picture. At the end of the arm is Dijak, who suggests Hayes keep a copy for himself, because after “Heatwave” he’s not wearing the NXT Championship anymore.

Hayes, meanwhile, is annoyed that Lee and Dijak would rather deal with him than with each other, because as things stand, Hayes is still the only one of the three who will definitely compete at “Heatwave” next week. Dijak promises to take care of Lee and come back.

In the ring we now find Drew Gulak with Charlie Dempsey and Damon Kemp, who is wearing a special “NXT Champions bag carrier” shirt. Out comes Trick Williams, who wants to prepare for his match against Ilya Dragunov next week.

Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen provide equal opportunity

•Trick Williams def. Drew Gulak (w/ Charlie Dempsey & Damon Kemp) via Pinfall after the Trick Kick•

-During the match, Dempsey and Kemp periodically distracted the referee, allowing the other of them to get their hands on Williams. Before the finish, Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen rushed out and took care of the two, leaving Gulak alone in the ring.

Williams promises afterwards that he will drag the “Mad Dragon” around the ring at will next week.

The Giants will clash at NXT Heatwave

-Kelly Kincaid intercepts Baron Corbin backstage, who appears to be making his way to the ring in street clothes. Kincaid shows interest in what Corbin has to say, which Corbin finds fantastic and continues towards the ring. Once there, he explains the benefits of his new attitude, as he can say whatever he wants and he doesn’t have to worry about how others feel about it.

He’s just here to usher in a new era, he says, and that’s Baron Corbin now. He wants to finally be where he deserves to be – in the Main Event. His monologue is interrupted by Von Wagner and Mr. Stone, who join him in the ring. The two are annoyed by Corbin’s behavior. Besides, Corbin’s chase for the top of NXT would soon be over anyway, because Von Wagner was standing in Corbin’s way and wouldn’t let him pass.

Corbin looks impressed with Wagner, as he put Bron Breakker through the commentary desk and the crowd loves him. But he doesn’t understand why Mr. Stone would speak for Von Wagner. Corbin himself is acting like a top star who is cashing in on the big money. He competes with legends like The Rock on the microphone, while Von Wagner hardly speaks a word. The latter agrees, he did indeed speak little, but Corbin would play the other side of the scale and talk way too much.

Next week, he plans to put words aside and take action, as he challenges Corbin to pick one of his ten gimmicks and go toe-to-toe with him. However, he says the end is already set, as Corbin will go through a table. Corbin doesn’t want to put up with that and tries to launch an attack, but Wagner is prepared and throws Corbin out of the ring in front of the commentator’s desk.

There he wants to follow up with one of his powerbombs, but Corbin is able to free himself from the hold in time. Now security staff and officials pour in to separate the two, but a match between the two for next week seems to be official!

-In the locker room, Rhea Ripley has flattering words for Dominik Mysterio, who last week showed once again why he is the best NXT North American Champion in history.

Ripley herself was attacked by Lyra Valkyria, which she said was a fatal mistake. As a result, Ripley is now issuing a challenge. She demands a mixed tag team match next week at “Heatwave”, with Dominik by her side against Dragon Lee and Lyra Valkyria. Dirty Dom thinks this proposal is a fantastic idea.

Lyra Valkyria and Dragon Lee talk backstage about Rhea Ripley’s challenge. They say that Ripley and Dominik are obnoxious and they both want to compete in the Mixed Tag Team, but it’s obvious that they are definitely the more well-coordinated team, while Valkyria and Lee don’t know much about each other. They would like to change that before they take on Judgment Day.

-In front of a lectern, Mustafa Ali now talks about the disappointments that fans of the North American Championship had to experience in the recent past. In a kind of electoral speech, he talks about Wes Lee and Dominik Mysterio, both of whom are not a good role model for North America. He, on the other hand, is the man who wants to bring prestige back to the title. He wants his listeners to stand up and understand – “In Ali You Can Trust!”

Wes Lee vs. Carmelo Hayes at NXT Heatwave

•NXT Championship #1 Contenders Match:
Wes Lee def. Dijak via Pinfall after the Corkscrew Senton Bomb•

Before the finish, Dijak threw his opponent over the barricade before being confronted by Eddy Thorpe. Dijak tried to launch an attack, but Thorpe was able to evade and Lee was then able to put his stamp on the rest of the match.

-McKenzie Mitchell talks to Tyler Bate about an incident last Friday that led to a match between Bate and Joe Coffey that will take place today. This is how the two men got into it. Bate explains that he can understand that Coffey is still upset that his stablemates lost NXT gold, but he still needs to find his inner peace. Bate would like to be the one to help him do that.

-In an Clip Ilya Dragunov talks about his match against Trick Williams next week. He is aware that Williams will have the support of the fans and that he is almost bursting with self-confidence, but Dragunov wants to teach him that this is not everything, because he brings the fire and will give everything in the fight. He will show Williams that he is more dangerous than he can even imagine.

-Wes Lee comes out of Shawn Michaels’ office with the contract for the NXT Championship title match at NXT “Heatwave”.

Why Dabba-Kato? WHY?

•Tyler Bate der. Joe Coffey (w/ Gallus: Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) via DQ after Bate was attacked by Dabba-Kato•

Dabba-Kato then wants to get his hands on Joe Coffey as well, but his Gallus teammates pull him out of the ring and out of harm’s way in time. Bate, however, stands alone and is dispatched with a Double Handed Sitout Chokeslam before Dabba-Kato poses over Bate.

-Baron Corbin is in the parking lot and explains that he did what he promised. He spoke his mind and someone felt offended by it. He wants to make short work of Von Wagner next week.

Now Bron Breakker comes in and inquires what Corbin has to do with Von Wagner, after all Breakker still has a bone to pick with him. Corbin replies that he assumed that Breakker, after being thrown through the commentary desk, wouldn’t want to have anything to do with Von Wagner, so he wants to get his hands on him at “Heatwave”.

Breakker seems to have speculated on this match himself and warns Corbin that he will be watching this match closely, but Corbin is not intimidated by Breakker and leaves the area.

-Nathan Frazer presents his “Hard Hitting Home Truths” and talks about NXT “Heatwave” as well as his match with Noam Dar to determine the true NXT Heritage Cup Champion.

Quickly, though, his show is interrupted by an edition of “Supernova Sessions,” live from the moon, with Noam Dar and the rest of Meta-Four. The two first exchange some pleasantries before Frazer asks Dar which Heritage Cup trophy is the real deal. Dar doesn’t want to comment on that, whereupon Frazer plays a flashback to last week, where Dar explained that Frazer technically owns the real trophy, but with the caveat that he himself has never been defeated for it.

Frazer now also presents a small, red button, which he from now on always wants to press when a lie comes out of Dar’s mouth – which is subsequently the case almost every second. The button sets off a loud alarm in the frame at Noam Dar, which is unbearable for him and the rest of Meta-Four, so Dar quickly brings the segment to a close.

However, he finishes by promising to make it clear to “Heatwave” that he is the true Heritage Cup Champion and has never lost the trophy. Frazer then fades out the image of Meta-Four and in turn declares that the real trophy will stay exactly where it is: in his hands. With these words, he bids farewell to the audience, stating that he has provided an epiphany.

Thea Hail’s resentment grows

•Jacy Jayne def. Thea Hail (w/ Chase U: Andre Chase & Duke Hudson) via Pinfall with an Inside Cradle•

During the match, Jacy Jayne ripped the ring pad from the corner. Andre Chase intervened to put it back on afterwards, but got in the way of his student, who reacted very upset. Jayne took advantage of this altercation to take the win.

This match certainly did not bring peace to Chase University. Andre Chase tries to explain himself, while Thea Hail angrily leaves the hall and Duke Hudson wants to explain to Chase why he should have stayed out of it.

-Angel Garza and Humberto Carillo wake up in the middle of the night and hear the voice of their late grandfather, Humberto Garza. He tries to bring them back together, because if one of them loses, so does the other. From now on, there would be no more games and no more distractions, for them there would only be the way to the top.

A War of Words between Hayes and Lee foreshadows a hot Match at Heatwave

-Carmelo Hayes finishes his autograph session, but Wes Lee joins again and wants to see just one more autograph from Hayes, the one on his contract for the title match. Hayes, however, hands the folder back to Lee and doesn’t want to see him again until next Tuesday.

Lee then distributes the autograph cards throughout the room, dismantles the table and drags it along with him, saying he won’t wait any longer….

Vic Joseph then presents the match card for next week’s NXT “Heatwave”. Dominik Mysterio & Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley will face Dragon Lee & Lyra Valkyria in a Mixed Tag Team Match.

Trick Williams looks to take on Ilya Dragunov, while Von Wagner has a reservation for Baron Corbin.

Nathan Frazer and Noam Dar will settle between themselves which one of them will hold the true NXT Heritage Cup trophy. Also coming up is the NXT Championship Match between Champion Carmelo Hayes and his challenger Wes Lee!

…all the way into the hall. There he sets up the table in the ring and awaits the NXT Champion, who also appears in the ring shortly afterwards. Lee seems impatient and demands the most important signature of the evening from Hayes. Hayes, however, takes the floor first and warns Lee not to push it too far, because he is very close to facing his old self. Lee doesn’t understand what Hayes is talking about, but raves about the NXT Champion’s fabulous lifestyle, including vacations, beach trips, champagne… Hayes agrees that these are great bonuses, but the NXT Champion also carries a lot of responsibility.

Lee, he says, was a proud champion himself and appreciated it just as he now respects the NXT Champion. But as long as Lee doesn’t fill Hayes’ boots, he should be careful with his accusations, because under the same pressure he now suffers on a daily basis, Lee would fold within a short time.

Next week, Lee gets the chance of a lifetime, but Hayes remains skeptical that he has what it takes. Lee takes the floor and talks about how Hayes has always been treated as the golden boy in NXT. Since Day 1, the red carpet was rolled out for him, while Wes Lee lost his tag team partner. After that, he was written off and almost ousted until he became the greatest NXT North American Champion in history – which no one, neither critics, advocates, nor himself, expected. But Lee, he said, had done it!

He had saved himself from the fall and solidified his career as a singles wrestler. And besides, who could he take the North American Championship from at the time? Hayes disagrees, because he was in that match, but he wasn’t defeated. Moreover, Hayes was the first to put the North American Championship in the spotlight. But now it’s about the NXT Championship and as far as that’s concerned, Lee can’t and won’t win. Lee has had enough and talks about his biggest doubter, which is neither Hayes nor the fans in the hall, but himself.

Whenever someone told him he wouldn’t be able to do something, something in him resigned, but that’s over now. He would no longer fail. Lee then signs the contract and demands the same of Hayes, who gladly complies. But he has one more piece of advice for Lee: he should not swim in wild waters, but stay in the calm pool, because next week it is not “Melo won’t miss”, but “Melo can’t miss”.

Hayes signs the contract and raises his title aloft. Suddenly Lee jumps up and gives the table a Double Foot Stomp, which collapses cleanly as a result. He awaits Hayes at “Heatwave” and the two engage in one last staredown, bringing NXT to a close for this week.

-Lenny Wrestling

*Photo courtesy of The SmackDown Hotel