NXT, Lucha Underground and Indy Wrestling Minute - Your Weekly Source for Independent Wrestling News

NXT 5/6

Emma opens NXT TV this week, wearing Bayley’s t-shirt and headbands but she gets a lukewarm reaction from the crowd. She goes to pull herself into the ring but just rolls under the ropes instead.

That guy Greg Hamilton is announcing this week instead of Jojo unfortunately.

Emma takes on Charlotte.

Emma throws the headband at Charlotte and then they lock up and Charlotte easily takes advantage.

Charlotte tries going up top but Emma sweeps out her legs and Charlotte tweak her knee on the rope and Emma immediately targets it, stomping it, slamming it on the apron and pulling it across the bottom rope. Charlotte tries to turn the tide with a body slam but her knee gives way and Emma continues to target it. Emma drops the knees on it on the second rope, slams it on the mat then locks in a single leg crab and Charlotte barely reaches the ropes.

Emma tries to slam the knee again but Charlotte flips out of it and takes advantage. She hits neckbreaker followed by a spear and when Emma gets to her knees, Charlotte hits Natural Selection for the win.

After the match, Bayley shows up in the ring while Emma is still down. Bayley helps her up and offers her a hug and Emma seems surprised and accepts but when Emma tries to pull away, Bayley won’t let go and hits the Belly to Bayley and starts slamming Emma’s head on the mat but Charlotte pulls her off. Bayley pulls her shirt off Emma and leaves the ring.

Becky Lynch video package. Rich calls her “eclectic” whatever that means. Talks about how she left home at 15 to train and was the only girl at her school (and shows a picture of her and Devitt from back in the day). About her influences like Dynamite Kid, Shawn Michaels and The Rock and Austin. Youngest foreign female to wrestle in Japan and wrestled all over the world before she came to NXT. Talks about her initial Irish jig dancing gimmick and how she sold herself out, that isn’t who she isnt and is a little resentful of it. She came here to be the best and you’re gonna see a whole different side of Becky Lynch when that title is on the line.

Michael Cole sit down interview with Kevin Owens. Asks why he did what he did to Sami Zayn, is it personal? He says of course it’s personal. Anyone coming after him is coming after the title and that title means a better life for his family so anyone looking to take it away is trying to take away a better life for his family, so it’s very personal. Cole says he doesn’t personally believe it’s only about the title. Cole asks if anyone else but Zayn was champ, would he have conducted himself in the same way and Owens starts to get annoyed. That right after he won, Renee Young asked him how could he do what he did to Zayn and that Cole hasn’t even congratulated him on winning it. Cole says fine and congratulates him but says respect is a two-way street and wants him to answer - how could he do what he did to Zayn, a man who traveled the roads with him, is as close as family, who he knew before his wife and stood with him at the altar. But Owens knows what Cole is trying to do, he wants Owens to admit that he stabbed his best friend in the back because it would make good headlines. But Owens says he sorry, sorry he can’t give him what he’s looking for as a “journalist” and uses air quotes (and says he uses that term loosely). Says the best headlines he can give is that Kevin Owens is a good father and provides for his family because he is NXT Champion.

Bull Dempsey is back in the NXT Zone. He takes on the Man Beast, Rhyno. Crowd chants “Rhyno’s gonna kill you”

Really going at each other but Rhyno gets the win with a Gore after tossing Dempsey easily with a belly to belly.

After the match, Rhyno calls out Baron Corbin at Takeover. He says people call him an unstoppable force but also say that about Corbin and wants him at the next live event.

Sasha Banks looking at a picture of Fabulous Moolah. Says Moolah was the baddest Diva in the history of WWE - until Banks came along. Says it’s nice that Becky has traveled the world to get to NXT but don’t forget who made her, and Sasha can unmake her.

William Regal in his office gets a visit from...Uhaa Nation?! He’s signing his official NXT contract. Followed by a Nation video package. Everyone who comes to NXT wants to be a champion and walking through the doors means he’s one step closer to achieving that goal. Funny how they don’t talk about him by name or mention what he’s going to be called. At the end a “Coming soon” pops up on the screen but still, no name is mentioned. It’s like this ad was for the smart fans who already know who he is cause it didn’t give casual fans much to go on about who he is or why they should be excited he’s in NXT.

Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder show up for the first time in a long time (what do you know, a week after I was calling for more tag teams to be used in NXT and mentioned them by name). Have a new look and new music, almost like they’re Briscoes light with bandanas and denim vests. And Graves says “they’re two country boys from the Carolinas who love to fight.”

They take on Enzo and Cass. Well...they’re music hits but Enzo and Cass don’t show up. They cut to backstage where Blake and The Murph are beating up Ezno and Cass while Carmella begs them to stop (more like shrieks at them to stop).

Michael Cole sits down Sami Zayn. Cole says Owens said its not personal - is it personal to you? And Sami says there’s the key difference between himself and Owens - that Owens is liar and he isn’t (which I’ve also called Kevin Steen on Twitter about how he lied to me about him winning BOTB 5) and that of course it’s personal. And sneak attacks and mind games aren’t his style but if that’s what he’s gotta do, fight fire with fire. Zayn would love to say it doesn’t bother him what Owens did, that it’s all business and none of it is personal but it’s just not true. He says next week he wants Owens to come to the ring, look him in the eye and tell him why. Cause the match is already set for Takeover and they don’t need to fight but he needs Owens to tell him and the world once and for all why he did what he did.

NXT Women’s Title contract signing now. Becky Lynch out first with William Regal in the ring. Sasha Banks comes out next and has some sort of box or something with her. Becky talks about her background again and says she made a lot of mistake and sacrifices but every single one of them was worth it to get here and have a shot at the NXT Women’s Championship. She didn’t come here to take part, she came to take over. She signs and Regal slides it to Banks.

Sasha puts down the pen and gets that box which was a stamp and puts it on the contract (Graves says that’s how she signs autographs at live events). Sasha picks up that contract and shows everyone, then throws it in Becky’s face and forearms her and throws her over the table and slams her into it. Sasha gets on the table and stands on Becky’s head and kicks her to the mat. Sasha flips the table and goes to get in Becky’s face again but Becky snatches her arm and puts her in the seated arm bar like Yuji Nagata and Sasha starts to tap.

Pre-recorded video from Alex Riley, talking about how he needs surgery again for the second time in a few years. He talks about knowing the risks of getting back in the ring and inserting himself in the NXT Title picture but isn’t sure if the risks are worth the reward anymore. When Owens laid him out he heard something that made him sick “Thank you Kevin, Thank you Owens” from the fans. You’re not going to see Alex Riley for a while, because that’s what people want. Man that was depressing.

Devin Taylor talks to Dana Brooke. She continues being a terrible person and calls Devin’s body “whack” like most other people who try to interview her and that she can’t believe that they chose Charlotte for the WWE Tap Out commercial and not the Total Diva. Next time she sees Charlotte she’s going to run circles around her and run her out of NXT. So deal with it.

Finn Balor at ringside to watch Hideo Itami vs Tyler Breeze. They tie up and push each other around but otherwise start the match slowly. Crowd solidly behind Hideo. Breeze gets the better of lock ups to start and avoids the kicks of Hideo. But Hideo eventually hits a PK on Breeze which send him out of the ring to collect himself.

Hideo still in control after the break, using knees and kicks to keep Hideo off balance but Breeze hits a neckbreaker to take control again and starts stomping him in the corner. He starts wearing Itami down with a chin lock on the mat and Itami tries to fight back into it. Itami hits a few lines followed by a clothesline from the top but only gets a 2.

Itami lands a Kenta combo and goes for a running kick but Breeze rolls outside. They trade a few punches and Breeze gets knocked into Balor. Itami lines up for a running boot but Breeze moves and Itami kicks Balor through the guardrail. Back in the ring, Breeze misses a Beauty Shot and Itami hits the running kick for the win.

Itami looks to Balor to say I’m sorry after the win but gets attacked by Breeze. Balor is quickly in the ring and throws Breeze off him and turns to look at Itami. He picks him up but Breeze nails Balor with a Supermodel Kick and Itami with a Beauty Shot to take them both out. And then gets a selfie. (Why isn’t there an Instagram feed that is entirely the selfies and shots Breeze takes with his selfie stick?)

Lucha Underground, 5/6

Johnny Mundo and Alberto El Patron head into Dario Cueto’s office. They say they can’t decide who should get to face Prince Puma for the LU Title. Alberto says Mundo already had his shot and it is his time. Cueto says they might be the best in the business but Hernandez is number one contender. Alberto says true but he never beat either of them and they are the best in the business. So tonight, Alberto vs Mundo, winner faces Hernandez in a new #1 contenders match.

First match is Son of Havoc/Angelico (with Ivelisse on crutches) vs Cortez Castro/Mr. Cisco. Angelico blind tag himself in, seems like they still aren’t on the same page. But Angelico holding his own using strikes (knees and kicks) to beat down Castro. Vampiro straight up calls Ivelisse a bitch. Angelico tries to hit Fall of the Angels, a running crucifix bomb, but Castro wiggles out.

Ivelisse yelling at her team on the outside. Son of Havoc hits a Arabian moonsault to the outside on Castro but lands hard back first on the bleachers and Ivelisse yells at them “That’s why you get!” but I can’t tell who she’s yelling at, her enemy or berating her own teammate. Followed by Angelico hitting a tope con hilo and landing on his feet on Bael and Cisco.

Havoc rolls Castro back in. Angelico back in and knees Castro in the face but only gets a 2. Havoc tags himself and cross body on Castro and Cisco. Bael on the apron and Havoc superman punch him. Cisco surprises Havoc and flapjacks him over into a Codebreaker by Castro and the Crew wins.

In Cueto’s office, he tells Daivari it takes real juevos to come back to his temple after being called out by Texano, but Daivari holds up his hand telling Cueto one moment as he’s more engrossed with his phone than talking to Cueto, who is visibly upset by the gesture. Cueto says he’s surprised he’d want to compete in LU. He’s very wealthy, his family owns half of Boyle Heights and many more neighborhoods in LA, so why risk his body in LU?

Daivari says Cueto likes to watch violence – he likes to inflict it. Cueto says we’ll see how much violence he can inflict in his first match– next against Texano.

Konnan and Prince Puma walk up to Hernandez in the locker room and Konnan has to hold Puma back. He tells Hernandez he doesn’t think it was cool how he got involved in Puma’s match last week. Hernandez says you mean how I saved his title? But Konnan says it seems like you tried to cost him the title. Hernandez says he hopes it can be Puma he beats the title for but then Cueto comes in and tells Hernandez about the change of plans with Mundo and Patron. Cueto also tells them he hopes they can get on the same page because later, they face Cage and King Cuerno in a tag team match.

Next match – Melissa Santos introduces him as “The Golden God” Delavar Daivari. But before Santos can introduce Texano, he’s rushing the ring to fight Daivari. He slams Daivari into the corner and pushes the ref off of him when he tries to break them up but gets DQ’ed in the process.

Tag match, Hernandez and Cage start. Hernandez throws Cage around and tags in Puma with a cocky tag which Puma doesn’t care for. Puma head scissor Cage who tags in Cuerno and Cuerno takes a rana but gets the knees up on a standing moonsault. Cage and Cuerno start working over Puma together and Hernandez just watches.

Hernandez and Puma regain control and Hernandez hits a dive over the top on Cage and Cuerno. When Puma sets up for a dive of his own, Hernandez struts on the apron and blocks Puma, who pushes Hernandez and looks pretty annoyed. Hernandez and Puma grudgingly work together to get a 2 count on Cuerno but Hernandez being difficult.

Cage and Cuerno regain control. They send both Puma and Hernandez outside and when Cuerno sets up for the Arrow From Hell suicide dive, Hernandez pulls Puma in front of the dive to avoid it himself. Konnan and Cage start arguing and Hernandez goes to pick up Puma but Puma shoves him away – and Hernandez boots him in the face! Then lifts him up and crucifix bomb Puma onto the apron! Konnan threatens Hernandez with his cane and Hernandez walks out. Cuerno throws Puma back in and Cage gets the win with a Weapon X.

Black Lotus packing a bag and says you can’t stop me. El Dragon Azteca walks up behind her and says he won’t let her suffer the same fate as her parents. He tells her if she can take him down, she can leave. She attacks him but he easily fends off her strikes with one hand. He says her parents were defenseless but she won’t be if she stays. Beaten, she opens her bag to stay.

Mundo vs El Patron now. They start trading holds but El Patron takes control early in the match. Back and forth for a while until El Patron lifts Mundo up and over the ropes and Mundo lands on the steps, breaking them. El Patron hits a suicide dive into Mundo and sends him crashing into the railing.

Back in the ring, Mundo tries to put together a combo but El Patron lands a few clotheslines and a tilt a whirl back breaker. He frees himself from a german suplex and hits a corkscrew dive onto El Patron over the top rope.

Really back and forth, no one can get an advantage. Trading pin falls until Mundo finally hits End of the World in the corner but El Patron grabs the ropes at the last moment. Mundo goes to pick up Mundo but El Patron locks in a cross arm breaker and somehow reaches the ropes with his legs. El Patron stomping Mundo in the corner and puts him in the tree of woe. El Patron rushes in for a spear but Mundo moves and El Patron hits the ring post. As El Patron staggers out, Mundo lands a double stomp to his back but only gets a 2.

Alberto lands a huge super kick to Mundo’s face as he’s on his knees and picks up the win.

Catrina with a casket – Mil’s casket. She takes out that stone while saying death is defined as the permanent end for something but for you, death is the beginning of new a life. She calls Mil Muertes back to life to rise again and says this time, nothing can stop him..

The final participants for the Lucha Libre World Cup have been announced.

Dream Team

Alberto El Patron (Captain)

Myzteziz (Original Sin Cara)

Rey Mysterio Jr.

Team Mexico 1

El Hijo Del Fantasma (King Cuerno)

El Texano Jr. (Texano)

Psycho Clown

Team  MexLeyendas

Blue Demon Jr.

Dr. Wagner Jr.

El Solar

Team “Rest of the World”

Drew Galloway

Angelico

El Mesias (Mil Muertes)

Team TNA/Lucha Underground

Matt Hardy (Captain)

Mr. Anderson

Johnny Mundo

Team ROH/Lucha Underground

Moose

ACH

Brian Cage

Team Pro Wrestling NOAH

Taiji Ishimori (Captain)

Yoshihiro Takayama

Atsushi Kotoge

Team AJPW

Kenzo Suzuki (Captain)

Tiger Mask III

Masamune

The show airs on May 25 on PPV in Mexico and iPPV in America, with English commentary being done by Matt Striker and Vampiro.

New Japan Pro Wrestling

NJPW returns on AXS on May 22 with two new eps. AJ Styles vs Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight title, Best of Super Juniors XXI featuring KUSHIDA, Ricochet, Taichi and Ryusuke Taguchi. The new episode on May 29 features the Young Bucks defend the IWGP Junior Heavyweight tag titles against the Time Splitters and Kota Ibushi defends the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title against Ricochet at Dominion on 6/21

New Japan Best of Super Juniors

Block A

Barbaro Cavernario (Representing CMLL. Only 21)

Baretta (One half of RPG Vice. aka Trent?)

Chase Owens (Representing NWA)

Gedo

Jushin “Thunder” Liger

Kyle O’Reilly

Rysuke Taguchi

Yohei Komatsu

Block B

Alex Shelley

Bobby Fish

David Finlay

KUSHIDA

Mascara Dorada

Nick Jackson

Rocky Romero

Tiger Mask IV

This BOSJ really highlights the lack of a strong Junior Heavyweight division in New Japan, since so many of the participants in the tournament this year aren’t regulars but guys being brought in. Don’t get me wrong, both blocks look pretty awesome but the fact that they have Gedo and Liger in there instead of homegrown Young Lions is telling.

I definitely like the look of Block B more, with Bobby Fish, the Time Splitters and Rocky Romero but having guys like Trent Baretta and Kyle O’Reilly in Block A should make that Block A great too. Also out of Block A, I think Komatsu has the potential to be the break out star coming out of this tournament. But in the end, I think KUSHIDA will win and it will propel him forward into a feud with Kenny Omega for the title.

Global Force Wrestling

GFW revealed more roster additions in a YouTube video last week. Faces are flashed on the screen quickly but below is who I was able to pick out

Jamin Olivencia

The Heavenly Bodies

Sonjay Dutt

Brodus Clay

Chuck Taylor?!

Jigsaw

Luke Hawx

THE YOUNG BUCKS

Cliff Compton

The Hot Shots (Cassidy Riley and Chase Stevens)

Jimmy Rave

In addition to previously announced:

Members of the Bullet Club Karl “Machine Gun” Anderson and Doc Gallows

Members of Suzuigun, David Hart Smith and Lance Hoyt “The Killer Elite Squad”

Sanada, former TNA X Division champ and current Wrestle-1 talent

Chris “The Adonis” Mordetsky (formerly known as Chris Masters in WWE)

PJ Black (formerly known as Justin Gabriel in WWE)

Moose (former NFL offensive lineman Quinn Ojinnaka and current ROH star)

Lei’D Tapa (former TNA Knockout)

Thea Trinidad (formerly Rosita in TNA)

Also, GFW announced that four titles will be decided on their first live taping in July at the Orleans Hotel and Casino.

#Rawlternative: Part Deux

The second edition of the independent wrestling event hosted by Beyond Wrestling, #Rawlternative #2, will be held on May 18 streaming live on YouTube. The promotions involved were announced on Twitter during Raw on May 4 and can be found below. Also make sure to sign up for the event on the Facebook page (which you can find at this link - https://www.facebook.com/events/1387035751625661/) to keep up with all the latest info.

Promotions featured on #Rawlternative #2 on 5/18:

AAW Pro

Absolute Intense Wrestling

Alpha 1 Wrestling (or Alphaone Rasslin as their Facebook page is titled)

Beyond Wrestling

Chikara Pro

C*4

DREAMWAVE Wrestling

Freelance Wrestling

Inspire Pro

Inter Species Wrestling

IWA Mid-South Wrestling

Jersey Championship Wrestling

Shimmer Women Athletes

Smash Wrestling

Announced matches:

Smash Wrestling

Brent Banks vs Scotty O’Shea in an Ambulance Match

AAW Pro

Ricochet vs Josh Alexander (of the Monster Mafia)

Inter Species Wrestling

Chris Dickinson vs. Pinkie Sanchez

IWA Mid-South

Ace Perry vs Jimmy Jacobs

Alpha-1

Ethan Page vs Alessandro Del Bruno

Chikara Pro

The Wrecking Crew (Blaster McMassive, Axe Smashmaster, Flex Rumblecrunch, Jaka, and Oleg the Usurper) vs. Kimber Lee, The Throwbacks (Dasher Hatfield and Mr. Touchdown), Jervis Cottonbelly and Shynron

Jersey Championship Wrestling

Chris Sabin vs. Brian Myers vs. Grim Reefer vs. Bandido Jr.

Absolute Intense Wrestling

Johnny Gargano vs Candice LeRae

DREAMWAVE

Colt Cabana and Dick Justice vs. Arik Cannon and Darin Corbin

Freelance Wrestling

Sug D, Haunter Strange, Caden Sade and Josh Crow vs. Masked Character, Mallaki Matthews, Bolt Brady and GPA

Combat Zone Wrestling
Proving Grounds results, May 9

Drew Gulak def. Nick Gage

(Gulak wins with a rollup but Gage isn’t done with him and issues a challenge for an ultraviolent match.)

Honorary Junior Heavyweight title match: The Plus Sized Champion Greg Excellent w/Chrissy Rivera def. Alexander James to retain

Pepper Parks w/ Cherry Bomb def. Joey Janela & Caleb Konley

(Cherry Bomb interferes and uses her newly won WSU Championship belt to take out Janela and Konley)

Sozio def Eric Corvis

The Beaver Boys def Buxx Belmar and Bill Carr

(Buxx Belmar in cop gear and Team Tremendous and Dick Justice have trained Buxx to be less disgusting, squirting him with a water bottle when he tries to revert to his old ways. He can’t hold back anymore and shoves his hands down the backs of John Silver and Alex Reynold’s trunks. Beaver boys get the win with roll ups and Reynolds looks violated.)

Wired Title match: ‘Speedball’ Mike Bailey def. Joe Gacy via DQ

(Great match from the sound of it. Speedball wins when AR Fox returns and attacks him, saying he isn’t Best of the Best because he never beat Fox.)

Trevor Lee def Andrew Everett

(If the last match was great, this one was even better)

CZW World Heavyweight Title match: BLK Jeez def Matt Tremont to retain

(Brutal match. During a big spot at the end, Pepper Parks and Cherry Bomb screwed over Tremont allowing Jeez to retain, for some reason)

Panes of Glass deathmatch: Danny Havoc def. ‘Wrench’ Conor Claxton

(Crazy deathmatch with lots of blood. Havoc pinned Wrench when he locked in a rear naked choke and leaned back. Afterward, Lucky 12 and Devon Moore bring out a NOI jersey for Wrench but they’re attacked by OI4K. Wrench chased them off and Havoc announces himself for TOD and challenges a member of OI4K to face him there)