Blair Davenport VS Nikkita Lyons
NXT kicked off with a brawl between Blair Davenport and Nikkita Lyons that ultimately led to the first match of the night. The match itself I thought was alright, I think Blair Davenport’s pretty decent in the ring whilst Nikkita Lyons looked slightly better than before she suffered her unfortunate injury. In the end, Lyons’ desire to knock out Davenport cost her as she injured her previously injured knee on the ring post before BD delivered a chop-block followed by a nasty knee to get the victory. I’m glad Blair won this match, but I think it’s fair to say that this feud is far from over.
Grade: C+
Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker VS Gallus: NXT Men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic (Round 1), Lyra Valkyria Promo, Josh Briggs VS Oro Mensah
After Cody Rhodes narrated a video package on the NXT Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, Carmelo Hayes confirmed to Trick Williams that they had the final spot in the Tournament. Whilst Williams didn’t like this at first, the idea of “2-Title Trick” was too good to ignore. Speaking of the NXT Men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, the first match of the Tournament saw Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker team up to take on Gallus. In the past, Bron Breakker has looked really good in Tag Team action (specifically with Tyler Bate) and that came to be true again as Bron and Baron looked really good together. Also, the crowd were massively behind the two unlikeable acts which probably tells you more about Gallus than anything else, but still, it was cool! In the end, Breakker dropped Wolfgang with a devastating Spear before Corbin delivered the End of Days to Mark Coffey to secure the victory, and I’ll be honest, these guys should win this Tournament.
Grade: B-
After Tiffany Stratton showed up to help Fallon Henley at her farm, Lyra Valkyria was in the ring as the NXT Women’s Champion wanted to address who would be her next challenger at NXT Vengeance Day. The call was answered by Lola Vice who reminded Lyra that she can cash in her contract whenever she likes before Valkyria tried to sow seeds of dissension between Vice and Elektra Lopez. The two Heels then attacked the Champion before Tatum Paxley made the save, and honestly, this was pretty pointless other than the fact that it set up a Tag Team match for next week. Seriously, Lyra needs to start doing something with her NXT Women’s Title soon.
Grade: C
After Josh Briggs and Meta-Four had an argument backstage, Luca Crusifino was showing Ava evidence as to why he was robbed in the NXT Men’s Breakout Tournament. Dragon Lee then came over to say his visa issues are all sorted before Lexis King walked into frame and challenged Lee for an NXT North American Championship shot which Dragon Lee was happy to accept. It was then time for a match between Josh Briggs and Oro Mensah. I thought this match was okay, I like Josh Briggs, I think he’s pretty decent, but unfortunately, there didn’t feel like there was too much to this contest. Still, Briggs was able to get the victory despite constant interference from Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson, and I can only assume that we’ll be getting a rematch between Briggs and Noam Dar for the NXT Heritage Cup down the line.
Grade: C+
NXT Tag Team Championships: The Family VS OTM, Cora Jade VS Gigi Dolin, Axiom and Nathan Frazer VS Hank and Tank: NXT Men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic (Round 1)
Tiffany Stratton learned about washing horses before The Family put their NXT Tag Team Championships on the line against OTM. This match was okay, but it was hard to get to invested in it due to my lack of enthusiasm for both teams. There were some decent moments, but I don’t think it’s going to be a contest that’s going to be remembered at the end of the year. Also, the ending was odd as Adriana Rizzo sort of cost Scrypts but also didn’t, and in the end, The Family retained their Titles after Tony D delivered “Forget About It”.
Grade: C+
After Jacy Jayne told the Chase U Student Body what they needed to do to save the University, Oba Femi talked about his NXT Men’s Breakout Tournament Contract before Lexis King came over and ultimately annoyed Mr. Femi. Gallus then got into an argument with Ridge Holland backstage before it was time for Cora Jade to go one-on-one with Gigi Dolin. This was one of the better performances I’ve seen from Cora Jade in a while, but she may have also stood out more due to Gigi not being the best in-ring worker. However, I did like the creative finish as after Dolin went to drop Jade, Cora held onto the referee before she nailed Gigi with Jaded Ways to score the 3 count. Right now, I expect Cora Jade to be the one to dethrone Lyra Valkyria at some point.
Grade: C+
After Jaida Parker seemingly aligned herself with OTM, it was time for the second match in the NXT Men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic as the exciting duo of Axiom and Nathan Frazer teamed up to take on Hank and Tank. What I like about Hank and Tank is they don’t necessarily fit a certain type of Pro Wrestler in regards to both their in-ring work and also their gear. Personally, I think that’s a really good thing. However, Walker and Ledger were no match for the speed and athleticism of Axiom and Frazer, and in the end, The Spanish Superhero dropped Hank with a Golden Ratio before Nathan hit an awesome Phoenix Splash to get the victory meaning Axiom and Frazer will face Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker in the Semi-Finals. Yes, please!
Grade: B-
NXT North American Championship: Dragon Lee VS Lexis King
After Tiffany Stratton cleaned out “horse poo” (fair play to Tiffany and Fallon Henley because they actually did a good job here) and Brinley Reece distracted Edris Enofe and Malik Blade, the Main Event of this week’s NXT saw Dragon Lee put his NXT North American Championship on the line against Lexis King. I’ve been very impressed with Dragon Lee’s in-ring ability, and whilst this wasn’t one of his best matches, he still looked pretty good. However, it was definitely Lexis King’s best performance in an NXT ring to date as he looked sharper and also showed some more personality. In the end, though, it wasn’t enough for King as Lee delivered Operation Dragon to retain his North American Title. However, the night wasn’t over there as Oba Femi arrived to cash in his NXT Men’s Breakout Tournament Contract, and despite a rather valiant effort from Lee, Femi was able to deliver a devastating Powerbomb before he pinned his opponent for the 3-count meaning yes, Oba Femi is the new NXT North American Champion! This was really cool stuff as it was unexpected yet teased at the same time. Also, it was nice to see a male cash in because it doesn’t feel like that’s happened for years (because it hasn’t). Also, I have my fingers crossed that the NXT North American Championship returns to its glory days rather than being a bit of a curse (something it’s very much been over the past few months).
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