By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
NXT Hits
Oba Femi vs. Brooks Jensen for the NXT North American Championship: This match went a lot longer than anticipated and yet it was laid out impressively in that Jensen showed heart, while Femi maintained his badass credibility. Dijak and Josh Briggs were set up as future opponents for Femi. Here’s hoping they both get singles title shots and this isn’t leading to a Triple Threat or some type of multi-person match at Stand & Deliver.
“LWO” Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro vs. “OTM” Lucien Price and Bronco Nima for a spot in the Triple Threat for the NXT Tag Team Titles at Stand & Deliver: A solid tag team opener. Wilde and Del Toro have made the most out of the extra reps they get in NXT by producing quality matches. On the flip side, OTM look the part, but creative hasn’t given them a meaningful win yet.
Trick Williams and Noam Dar: A decent show closing segment that wisely featured NXT’s hottest star, who set up a match with Dar for next week. Dar didn’t come out of this segment with any heat and he feels like a bump in the road. I’m not sure why they felt the need to have Williams kiss Lash Legend, but the live crowd ate it up.
Thea Hail and Fallon Henley vs. Kiana James and Izzi Dame: The pre-match angle that showed Hail’s partner Kelani Jordan laid out backstage set the table for Henley to save the day. It made the likable Henley look good and it was also logical given her longstanding issues with James. Henley continues to stand out as the most consistently likable babyface on the NXT women’s roster with Hail right behind her. James and Dame won the match and yet they felt completely overshadowed by everything else that took place. That said, Hail’s post match promo was well delivered. It’s actually a shame that NXT doesn’t have women’s tag team titles given the abundance of female wrestlers they have on the roster.
Mr. Stone vs. Lexis King: Stone’s character showed heart by swinging for the fences before he was shut down and pinned by King. Stone continues to be a good utility player for NXT, as he has been booked in some oddball situations and he consistently makes them work.
Roxanne Perez promo: Although the promo went longer than it really needed to be, Perez looked poised and delivered her lines in a believable manner. That said, I’m still not sold on the idea of turning Perez heel rather than Lyra Valkyria, who still hasn’t connected with the audience.
NXT Misses
Shawn Spears vs. Ridge Holland: The match quality was fine. I’m just not feeling these two characters, nor do I understand why Spears would care about making Holland embrace his rage. At this point, I hope Holland’s character does embrace it because his mopey family man act isn’t working.
Gigi Dolin vs. Adriana Grace: A women’s match concluding with a disqualification due to a low blow. I’ve seen it all.
No Quarter Catch Crew rules: Why are they allowed to use Freebird style rules for their matches? I get that NXT creative is trying to make them stand out, but there really should be some explanation for why they don’t have to announce in advance which wrestlers will represent the faction in Heritage Cup defenses or in the qualifying match for the NXT Tag Team Title match at Stand & Deliver. If their team wins the qualifier, do the same two wrestlers have to work the tag team title match or will they be allowed to play the mix and match game again without explanation?
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