By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
NXT 2.0 Hits
Raquel Gonzalez vs. Franky Monet for the NXT Women’s Championship: A solid television main event. It wasn’t the standout match that I hoped for from these two, but they made the most of the time they had. Between losing the match and being attacked by Toxic Attraction afterward, I am hopeful that Monet will be moved to the main roster via the draft. On a side note, why did Michael Cole and now Vic Joseph credit JBL with the fallaway slam? I won’t pretend to know who came up with the move, but it’s not like Razor Ramon didn’t perform it in WWE/WWF long before JBL.
Roderick Strong vs. Grayson Waller for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship: A well worked match. We know little about Waller’s character, but I hope his performance in this match will lead to him becoming a singles act rather than playing the comedic guy to Drake Maverick’s straight man in their tag team.
Io Shirai and Zoey Stark vs. Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne for the NXT Women’s Tag Titles: An entertaining tag match. I was surprised to see a clean finish because I expected them to extend the feud, but I don’t think anyone would complain about seeing these teams work together again. I thought we might see a title change to free up Shirai for a move to the main roster via the draft, but now I’m assuming she stays put in NXT.
Kyle O’Reilly vs. Ridge Holland: A solid television match. Von Wagner saving O’Reilly from a post match attack by Holland and Pete Dunne will surely lead to a tag team match. I can’t help but notice the uncertainty in Wagner’s eyes at this point in his development. Hopefully he’ll gain some confidence and find himself.
Xion Quinn vs. Oney Lorcan: Lorcan deserves a better role. At the same time, he is a pro who makes his opponents look better, so hopefully the folks behind the curtain recognize his value. Quinn is one of he many works in progress in NXT. He had a solid outing, thanks in part to the work of Lorcan.
Dexter Lumis and Indi Hartwell honeymoon: The turn your brain off sports entertainment comedy skits are sure to be polarizing. While this isn’t the best use of Johnny Gargano, there’s no denying that he plays his comedic role well. I hope we can get back to Johnny Wrestling and move away from Johnny Comedy soon. I just wonder if it will take leaving NXT when his deal expires in order for that to happen. If nothing else, these skits are giving Candice LeRae a chance to continue working during her pregnancy.
NXT 2.0 Misses
B-Fab vs. Elektra Lopez in a no disqualification match: The effort was there, but B-Fab just isn’t ready for prime time when it comes to her ring work. She’s a strong personality and a big part of Hit Row, so she has a bright future if she can improve in the ring.
NXT Tag Title showcase segment: A rough segment that didn’t do much to clarify how they want viewers to think of the teams of Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams or Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen. More than anything, this showed how thin the division is. Hayes strikes me as a singles wrestler, and the team of Briggs and Jensen lost their only NXT match and even took another loss on 205 Live before that.
Andre Chase vs. Boa: Wait, Chase is actually wrestling in that lame college sweater? Ugh. Anyway, I had no clue what the creative forces expected fans to do during a match between two heels.
Lashing Out with Lash Legend: The good news is that Legend has a good look and the gift of gab. And while it was wise to pre-tape the segment due to her inexperience, the segment also came off campy due to the setting. I don’t expect 2.0 to be like the previous version of NXT, but I hope they tone down on some of the over the top sports entertainment aspects of the show. The InDex saga is a guilty pleasure, but
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