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Welcome to this week’s review of Nxt, right here on Nerdly. Let’s get straight into it and see what went down in this episode…

Match #1: The Rascalz def. Gallus The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Wes Lee, Trey Miguel and Zach Wentz were victorious in their first match together in Nxt, taking down Gallus in Six-Man Tag Team action. The speedy Rascalz kept Gallus off-balance to begin the match, but the power of Joe Coffey, Mark Coffey and Wolfgang leveled the playing field. Out of nowhere, Vic Joseph innocuously said Joe Hendry’s name and he appeared, much to the delight of the Nxt Universe, and the Tna star joined the Nxt commentary team for the match. When the action continued, Lee used a huge stomp from the top rope to score the win.

My Score: 4 out of 5 Match #2: Je’Von Evans def. Brooks Jensen The following is courtesy of wwe.

When it comes to WWE, one of the most important positions beyond just those in the ring is the broadcast team. Those who call the action, tell the audience who the pro wrestling stars are and paint the picture of the stories being told. They essentially provide the soundtrack; the lyrics to the music. And Tuesday nights for Nxt that job goes to Vic Joseph and Hall of Famer Booker T. Together the dynamic duo set the stage for many emerging talent who have the potential to be in the main event of WrestleMania down the line and shape WWE’s future for years to come. Joseph started his career in CBS radio out of Cleveland where he’d interview his fair share of sports GOATs including LeBron James while honing his broadcasting skills working for independent wrestling promotions. He made it to WWE in 2017 where the 38-year-old found himself...

Jamin Pugh, the pro-wrestling star better known by his ring game Jay Briscoe, died on Tuesday from undisclosed causes. He was 38 years old.

Tony Khan, the owner of Ring of Honor and rival pro-wrestling promtion Aew, made the announcement on Twitter.

Sadly, Jamin Pugh has passed away. Known to fans as Jay Briscoe, he was a star in Roh for over 20 years, from the first show until today.

Jay and his brother Mark dominated Roh, reigning as champions to this day. We'll do whatever we can to support his family.

Rest In Peace Jamin

— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) January 18, 2023

“Sadly, Jamin Pugh has passed away. Known to fans as Jay Briscoe, he was a star in Roh for over 20 years, from the first show until today. Jay and his brother Mark dominated Roh, reigning as champions to this day. We’ll do whatever we can to support his family. Rest In Peace Jamin,...

Updated: WWE is shaking up their commentary teams, Variety has learned exclusively.

Beginning with this week’s season premiere episode of “SmackDown,” the commentary team for the shows will be as follows:

On “SmackDown,” Michael Cole and Wade Barrett will be the main commentators, with Barrett moving over from the “Nxt” commentary team. Samantha Irvin will serve as the ring announcer, with Kayla Braxton and Megan Morant serving as backstage interviewers.

At “Monday Night Raw,” Kevin Patrick and Corey Graves will be the commentary team. Patrick has worked as a backstage correspondent, a play-by-play commentator for “WWE Main Event,” and the host of “Raw Talk.” Mike Rome will be the ring announcer. Cathy Kelley and Byron Saxton will conduct onscreen interviews. Kelley is returning to WWE after leaving the company in 2020. Saxton has been working on the “Raw” commentary desk along with Graves and Jimmy Smith of late.

Smith will be exiting WWE.

Match #1: Joaquin Wilde & Raul Mendoza def. The Bollywood Boyz The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

The Bollywood Boyz regularly try to coax 205 Live announcers Vic Joseph And Nigel McGuinness into a pre-match dance, and Joseph finally acquiesced by promising to dance with Samir and Sunil if they win the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Despite the pre-match antics, Samir and Sunil enjoyed the early advantage, at least until Mendoza distracted Samir from ringside, and Wilde capitalized by nearly driving his unsuspecting foe through the canvas with a Ddt. Sunil briefly caught fire after receiving a tag, slamming each of his foes’ heads off the announce table, and The Bollywood Boyz came within a heartbeat of victory with a combination of a superplex and a top-rope elbow drop to Mendoza, but Wilde interrupted the count just in time. Moments later, a vicious double-team maneuver to Sunil propelled Legado del Fantasma into the second round,...

Welcome to this week’s 205 Live review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we’re on our way to talk to Hannibal Lecter, as a part of our children’s series on Pro Wrestling 101. Unfortunately the interview never led to the kind of discussion of wrestling that I wanted for the children, but…what the… Hannibal: Your fist tasted like knuckle children, Mr. Nathan. Perhaps you spend your waking hours too devoted to one hobby over the other? What kind of personal life do you keep, young man? Are you a man of romance, or are you a circle jerk? I…Ow! Nathan: What does it taste like now, mother-f—-r?!

Match #1: The Bollywood Boyz def. Ever-Rise The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Nese and Daivari’s plot for Ever-Rise and The Bollywood Boyz to help one of them emerge victorious from last week’s 5-Way proved unsuccessful,...

WWE’s announcer shuffle continued on this week’s Raw, with Michael Cole once again filling in for Tom Phillips on last night’s episode; Cole only noted that Phillips “had the week off.” It’s the same thing Cole said last week.

Even more so this week, Samoa Joe was off the Raw commentary team as well; Byron Saxton and Dolph Ziggler filled in on the show.

This has been a recurring shift for WWE. Cole has been the one constant, but in the last year Raw belonged to Phillips, then it went to Vic Joseph when Paul Heyman had creative control over the red brand, and after Heyman was removed, WWE went back to Phillips.

At the same time, former WWE broadcaster Renee Young has spoken out on why she decided to leave the company and let her contract expire.

“I’ve been there for eight years and...

Welcome to this week’s WWE 205 Live review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have three matches…for men. Hey, it’s time to kiss the ring, betch.

Match #1: Ariya Daivari def. Tehuti Miles The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Fanny pack and all, Tehuti Miles was still flashing his one-of-a-kind fashion as he strutted to the ring for his clash with Ariya Daivari on 205 Live. Once the bell rang, however, Miles also showed an improved focus, perhaps heeding the advice of The Brian Kendrick, who last week told Miles, “Drop the ego, and you’ll be a star.” While Daivari talked trash in the early goings, even going so far as to deride Miles as a “piece of trash,” the WWE Performance Center standout allowed his actions to speak for him, as he unleashed a flurry of strikes and twice sent Daivari sailing...

Welcome to this review of WWE’s Half-Time Heat, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have one $#@!&?! Match.

Match #1: (Main Event) Aleister Black, Ricochet & Velveteen Dream def. Nxt Champion Tommaso Ciampa, Nxt North American Champion Johnny Gargano & Adam Cole – Six Man Tag Match The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

As the Big Game between the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams headed into the break, all eyes turned to WWE Network for WWE Halftime Heat, which showcased the true gold standard in sports-entertainment, Nxt. Streaming live from the WWE Performance Center, Halftime Heat’s historic return saw the team of Aleister Black, Ricochet & Velveteen Dream defeat Nxt Champion Tommaso Ciampa, Nxt North American Champion Johnny Gargano & Adam Cole in a thrilling Six-Man Tag Team Match. The Dutch Destroyer, The One and Only and the enigmatic Dream picked up the victory after Dream nailed...

In today’s TV News Roundup, Sanaa Lathan has joined Jordan Peele’s “Twilight Zone” reboot and “Upload” at Amazon adds two to its cast.

First Looks

Netflix has released the trailer for “Westside,“ a new unscripted series that looks into the journeys of nine L.A. musicians as they struggle to follow their dreams. Debuting on Nov. 9, each episode features original songs and music videos. Cast members include Sean Patrick Murray, Pia Toscano, James Byous, Arika Gluck, Austin Kolbe, Caitlin Ary, Leo Gallo, Alexandra Krekorian, and Taz Zavala. Assisting them along the way are a few industry giants, including music producer Philip Lawrence, acting coach Susan Batson, and music director Keith Harrison.

Casting

Sanaa Lathan has joined the first season of “The Twilight Zone,” a CBS All Access reboot of the original CBS television show. The series hails from Jordan Peele, who will also serve as the narrator. Lathan...

WWE is adding new weekly episodic series “Nxt UK” to its streaming service, WWE Network.

The one-hour “Nxt UK” will feature male and female wrestlers from the U.K. It will stream Wednesdays at 8 p.m. BT/3 p.m. Et/noon Pt on WWE Network, starting on Oct. 17.

“‘Nxt UK’ is the next step in our global localization strategy, and we are proud to do this in a place where WWE has had a special relationship for more than 30 years,” said Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE executive vice president, Talent, Live Events & Creative.

Also Read: John Cena Performs His New WWE Finishing Move on Jimmy Fallon (Video)

Johnny Saint is Nxt UK general manager. Andy Shepherd is the show’s ring announcer, Nigel McGuinness and Vic Joseph will call the in-ring action. Joining the team as a backstage interviewer is British broadcasting personality Radzi Chinyanganya.

Nxt UK counts Pete Dunne,...

Welcome to this week’s 205 Live review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have lots of good action from the cruiserweight division to get to, so let’s do so.

Match #1: Noam Dar def. Tjp The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

Last month, Noam Dar made a triumphant return to WWE 205 Live by defeating Tjp in record time. However, the two would battle once again, and The Cruisergreat targeted Dar’s injured knee to gain an advantage and score a victory. With victories shared, a rubber match between the Superstars was in order. Before the match got underway, Grammy-nominated rapper Wale joined Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness and Percy Watson on commentary. Tjp made his way to the ring, eager to return home to Los Angeles, and chastised his opponent, guaranteeing a second victory and a definitive end to their rivalry.

As the match got underway,...