By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
NXT Hits
Trick Williams vs. Noam Dar: A solid win for Williams on the road to his showdown match with Carmelo Hayes at Stand & Deliver. The post match angle with Carmelo Hayes attacking Williams with the help of his personal security was nicely done.
Oba Femi, Josh Briggs, and Dijak segment: Dijak won the night with his response to Briggs calling him a Shaft wannabe. Dijak stating, “I don’t know if you know this or not, but I’m white” was an unexpected gem that even Briggs had to laugh at. The delivery of the dialogue was a little wooden at times, but the segment accomplished what it needed to as they presumably build toward the multi-man NXT North American Championship match at Stand & Deliver.
Axiom and Nathan Frazer vs. Charlie Dempsey and Myles Borne in a tournament match for a shot at the NXT Tag Team Titles at Stand & Deliver: A nice tag team match and a good win for Axiom and Frazer. The “catch clause” gimmick that allows the No Quarter Catch Crew to wait to announce who will represent the faction in matches is absurd.
Drew Gulak vs. Riley Osborne for the NXT Heritage Cup: Did I mention that the “catch clause” is lame? Nevertheless, this was a strong match that allowed Osborne to shine in defeat. But it is disheartening that we went from Meta Four interfering in Heritage Cup matches to having a weak interference finish for this match. Worse yet, there’s probably more to come given that the No Quarter Catch Crew members are all at ringside. It would be a breath of fresh air if they took a more straight forward approach to Heritage Cup matches.
Roxanne Perez vs. Tatum Paxley: A good showcase for the officially turned heel Perez. But can anyone explain the oddball dynamic between Paxley and Lyra Valkyria? Why would the NXT Women’s Champion befriend her stalker? This isn’t a case of Valkyria being oblivious to some telling moments that we as viewers pick up on. Paxley is an overt stalker who even dresses like Valkyria. Is this weirdness actually going somewhere?
Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson vs. Hank Walker and Tank Ledger in a tournament match for a shot at the NXT Tag Team Titles at Stand & Deliver: A soft Hit for the expected win for Gallows and Anderson over the likable developmental duo.
Sol Ruca vs. Brinley Reece: The over-caffeinated Reece character would be a channel changer for this viewer if I had that option. Anyway, Ruca’s finisher is a gem. Blair Davenport attacking Ruca after the match was a basic way to set up a future match.
NXT Misses
Ilja Dragunov and Tony D’Angelo segment: A lot of talking and none of it made left me more excited about the NXT Championship at Stand & Deliver. Don’t get me wrong, I like the match on paper, but this felt like a filler segment that didn’t move anything forward.
Arianna Grace and Gigi Dolin: A bad WOW segment. Grace plays her beauty pageant contestant character well, but it’s too campy and lacks the silly charm of “Timeless” Toni Storm. And I have no idea why Dolin would just stand there and let Grace put a “Ms. NXT in Training” sash on her.
Ridge Holland: Holland said he would do what everyone wants him to do. I hope that means he’s going to abandon this mopey persona that isn’t clicking. Or maybe he and Brooks Jensen can form The Quitters tag team.
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