By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
NXT 2.0 Hits
NXT Tag Team Champions “Pretty Deadly” Elton Prince and Kit Wilson vs. Roderick Strong and Damon Kemp in a non-title match: An enjoyable tag team opener. It was fun to watch Kemp show more fire and look much more confident than he has in his past outing. I also like the dynamic between him and taskmaster Strong. Prince and James are a fun throwback team in terms of the amount of selling they do for their babyface opponents before they steal wins in the end.
North American Champion Cameron Grimes vs. Nathan Frazer in a non-title match: A good, fast-paced cruiserweight style main event. I wish Frazer had been built up to mean more so that Grimes beating him packed more of a punch. I have no doubt that the match could have gone twice as long and these two would have filled the time with ease.
Ivy Nile vs. Kiana James: This match exceeded my expectations, mostly because I suspected that it would be a quick showcase for Nile. And while she went over clean, it turned out to be a competitive match that made James look good in defeat. While I’m not sold on James’ character, which feels like it’s something out of WOW, she plays the part well and showed good potential overall.
Roxanne Perez video package: Great stuff with footage of a young Perez hanging out in front of WWE events, training at Booker T’s school, and showing that her friendship with Cora Jade goes back a few years and isn’t just a made for television friendship.
Wes Lee vs. Xyon Quinn: They settled in nicely following a rough start. The match was laid out in a way that established Lee as the undersized underdog, and the live crowd responded favorably when he got the win. On a side note, the ongoing relationship between Lee and Sanga is interesting.
Grayson Waller vs. Josh Briggs: A solid match with Waller getting a win thanks to a distraction from Von Wagner. Waller still seems to be spinning his wheels without an actual program at the moment. His current finisher is impressive, but he really needs another one that doesn’t require him to start at ringside.
Solo Sikoa vs. Duke Hudson: More of an in the middle. It was a Hit for Solo, who continues to stand out as one of the brightest young stars in NXT. But it was a big Miss for Hudson coming off of his DQ win over Bron Breakker last week. Why not build up Hudson for a few weeks so that it at least means something when Breakker inevitably avenges that loss? Hudson continues to feel like one of the most underutilized talents in NXT.
NXT 2.0 Misses
Toxic Attraction contract signing with Wendy Choo, Kayden Carter, and Katana Chance: You know it’s a bad segment when Choo was the voice of reason with her repeated pleas to “sign the contract.” The live crowd echoed that sentiment via their chants. Choo lost me with the spitball serving as her weekly childish antic. The heels are supposed to be unlikable. What was the babyface trio’s excuse?
Bron Breakker and Joe Gacy: Gacy did a good job of telling Breakker’s story in a video package until he had to force the over the top villain laugh at the end. They lost me when the lights flickered during Breakker’s backstage promo and we could hear Gacy laughing again. I get what they were going for in terms of Breakker teasing that he was going to snap only to keep his cool, but this feud can’t end soon enough. I really hope the creative forces realize that they have done far more harm than good when it comes to Gacy in recent months and don’t try to blame him for the mess that his character has become.
Legado Del Fantasma and Tony D’Angelo’s crew: Does anyone know who the heels and babyfaces are? D’Angelo and Santos Escobar did a fine job with the material they were given, but this feud continues to suffer because neither side exhibits babyface traits.
Cora Jade vs. Elektra Lopez: The usual clunkiness we’ve come to expect from Lopez matches. She has a great look and holds her own with her acting skills and promo ability. Like a number of people in NXT, Lopez simply needs more reps in the ring. Meanwhile, I’m curious to see if Jade ends up forming a tag team with Roxanne Perez now that their friendship has been established.
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