Kickoff Show: Chase U VS The Schism
The first match of the night saw Chase U take on the Schism with the University on the line. This match got a decent amount of time and it allowed different superstars to showcase their talents. Tyler Bate was definitely the class of the field when it comes to in-ring work, but I was impressed by Thea Hail who looked very good against Ava. The big moment in the match came when the Schism offered Duke Hudson a t-shirt and he put it on making it seem like he was joining the heel group. However, this was all a ruse as “the Duke” ripped the shirt off before all four good guys hit the Chase U stomps on their opponents setting up Chase U and Duke Hudson to get the win with the Fratliner. This was solid for a kickoff show match.
Grade: C+
NXT Women’s Championship Ladder Match: Roxanne Perez VS Tiffany Stratton VS Zoey Stark VS Gigi Dolin VS Lyra Valkyria VS Indi Hartwell
The NXT Women’s Championship was on the line in the first match on the main show as Roxanne Perez looked to retain her gold in a ladder match against 5 of the best women in NXT. This match had some pretty sloppy moments which was a shame, but on the positive side, there were a whole lot of crazy spots too. Tiffany Stratton had a hard landing on a ladder during the match and both Lyra Valkyria and Gigi Dolin sent one another crashing onto a ladder that was set up in the corner. Zoey Stark looked particularly good in this match whilst Indi Hartwell seemed to have trouble getting up the ladder. As for the champion, Roxanne looked good, but she never really got a moment when it looked like she was going to retain her gold. That moment did happen to Gigi Dolin though as she climbed up the ladder alone and looked certain to grab the NXT Women’s Championship. However, Jacy Jayne returned and pushed her former Toxic partner onto another ladder, taking Dolin out of the match completely. It then looked like it was going to be Stratton’s moment, but Hartwell sent her crashing onto the remaining competitors on the outside (Tiffany took another rough bump). Indi Hartwell was alone in the ring, but once again, she just couldn’t climb up the ladder. However, Dexter Lumis came out of nowhere and helped her climb up the ladder meaning yes, Indi Hartwell is now the NXT Women’s Champion! Whether this will be the best thing for NXT going forward is anyone’s guess, but for now, this was so cool to see as Indi’s worked so damn hard to get to this moment.
Grade: B
NXT Tag Team Championships: Gallus VS The Creed Brothers VS The D’Angelo Family
Both Gallus and the D’Angelo Family got special entrances as it was time for the NXT Tag Team Championships to be on the line. This match was ok, but it also wasn’t anything special. I thought Julius Creed looked pretty good, but there were some sloppy moments in this match. At one point, Brutus Creed completely missed his attempt at the Brutus Bomb. The big moment of this match saw Joe Coffey make his return to NXT to take out the Creed Brothers before Gallus hit their finisher on Stacks to get the victory. Gallus are now finally back to being a trio and they rightly retained their championships here.
Grade: C+
NXT North American Championship: Wes Lee VS Dragon Lee VS Axiom VS Ilja Dragunov VS JD McDonagh
The NXT North American Championship was then on the line as Wes Lee looked to retain his championship in by far his biggest open challenge yet. This match was definitely a tale of two as there were some really sloppy moments in this match and some uncharacteristic mistakes by JD McDonagh. However, when they got rolling, this match was terrific. Axiom looked incredible and showcased fully how well he’s done over the past year. Both Ilja Dragunov and JD McDonagh brought a crazy level of fire to this bout whilst Dragon Lee proved that the hype surrounding him was justified. There was actually a great spot when it looked like JD was going to get the victory with the Devil Inside, but Dragunov was able to catch the referee’s arm. That was a nice nod back to Halloween Havoc last October. Wes Lee also went for the Cardiac Kick on the Irish Ace, but the Champion was caught mid-air by a Golden Ratio from Axiom. Everyman in this match came close to winning, but in the end, it was Wes Lee who came out still North American Champion after pinning Ilja Dragunov. Fair play to Wes, he’s turned around what was once the worst NXT North American Championship reign in history to one of the best.
Grade: B+
Johnny Gargano VS Grayson Waller: Unsanctioned Match
Johnny Gargano looked for redemption as he went one-on-one with the Arrogant Aussie Grayson Waller. This was awesome! There were multiple table spots, multiple chair spots, multiple bin spots and quite a few strikes from the kendo sticks. Some of the landings Johnny took were ridiculous, but Grayson Waller’s back was in a much worse condition. At one point in the match, Candice LeRae jumped the barricade and started wailing Waller with the Kendo Stick as well before Johnny nailed Grayson with One Final Beat for a close near fall. Grayson Waller then delivered a low blow to Gargano before he nailed him with his roll-in Stunner for another close fall. In the end, though, Johnny stepped into his dark place as he hit Waller with a low blow before he wrapped a chair around the Arrogant Aussie’s neck and smashed that chair with another chair. Johnny Takeover then locked in the Gargano escape leaving Grayson no choice but to tap. I love Johnny Gargano! He is so good and the reason this ending worked so well is even though he is the biggest babyface in the brand's history, he’s also played a nasty bad guy before and he’s feuded with Tommaso Ciampa. Grayson Waller also looked like a champion in this match and I have no doubts about Waller being on WrestleMania in a few year's time. After the match, Johnny Gargano, Candice LeRae, Indi Hartwell and Dexter Lumis celebrated on the ramp in the best WAY Johnny Wrestling’s NXT career could end.
Grade: A
NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships: Fallon Henley and Kiana James VS Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn
Fallon Henley and Kiana James attempted to get along as they put their NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships on the line against Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn. This match wasn’t long, but it was definitely longer than I expected. It was also a lot more competitive than I imagined as Henley and James put up a valid effort in their title defense. However, Kiana James knew the only way she could keep hold of her title was to cheat her way to victory. Brooks Jensen was torn over this, but Josh Briggs and Fallon Henley didn’t allow it to happen which opened the door for Alba Fyre to get the victory with the Swanton Bomb. I’m happy that Alba and Isla have won the titles, especially as that’s what I predicted near the end of 2022.
Grade: C+
NXT Championship: Bron Breakker VS Carmelo Hayes
In one of the biggest main event matches in recent NXT history, Bron Breakker put his NXT Championship on the line against Carmelo Hayes. Both men got special entrances and Carmelo’s once again felt particularly special as the titantron showed a bunch of t-shirts with the names of people that Melo’s beaten in the past. The match started with a pretty slow pace for the first 70% of the contest and the first big moment of the match came when Trick Williams was ejected for jumping onto the ring apron. The next big moment came when Bron delivered a Spear to Hayes, but he also took the referee out in the process. Breakker then locked in the Steiner Recliner and Carmelo tapped out. However, the referee was still out cold and Trick Williams reappeared and smashed the champion in the back of the head with his own championship. Carmelo then covered Bron and the Champion was just barely able to kick out. Bron couldn’t survive for much longer though as after Hayes hit Bron with a codebreaker, Melo climbed to the top rope and hit Nothin’ but Net to get the victory meaning Carmelo Hayes is the brand-new NXT Champion. The crowd absolutely loved this and after the match, Bron Breakker showed respect to his opponent by giving him the title before he raised his arm in the air. This most likely means that this will be Bron’s last appearance on NXT and even though his championship run got stale by the end, he has played a huge role in this brand and I think he can do well on the main roster. As for Carmelo Hayes, this was his time to win the NXT Championship and solidify himself as one of the brand’s greatest-ever superstars. Why? Cause Melo don’t Miss!
