By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
NXT Hits
Cody Rhodes and Trick Williams: A harmless and fun segment involving the WWE and NXT champions. It was cool to see them share the ring and the live crowd ate it up. Cody’s backstage segment with his crew of fellow AEW alumni members Ethan Page, Shawn Spears, and Lexis King was good for a laugh. I’m not really sure why the ultimate babyface Cody would give a face shield to heel Jacy Jayne, but it was a cute callback moment. On a side note, it was disappointing that this didn’t turn out to be a big bounce back night for Page after he lost the NXT Championship match at Battleground.
Lexis King vs. Dante Chen in a Singapore Cane match: On paper, this match didn’t do much for me because kendo sticks, er, Singapore canes have been so overused in pro wrestling that it seems like the audience has become desensitized. But both wrestlers snapped me out of that mode by laying in the cane shots while also using the canes in creative ways. King going over was the right call to extend the feud.
Shawn Spears vs. Je’Von Evans: Spears going over actually felt like an upset, which is strange considering that Evans is young and fairly new to NXT. Evans has been positioned as a bit of a phenom since he arrived. I like the idea of giving him a mountain to climb as opposed to having him just plow through everyone. Spears really needed the win after taking some high profile losses since he returned to the company.
“Gallus” Joe Coffey, Mark Coffey, and Wolfgang vs. Wes Lee, Tyler Bate, and Pete Dunne: Good action from bell to bell. It was a big night for the heels on NXT, as even Gallus picked up a win over a team that included two main roster wrestlers. Lee took the loss for the babyfaces, but he’s over enough that it won’t hurt him.
Eddy Thorpe vs. Tavion Heights: While it felt like this match was meant to spotlight Thorpe given that he went over, Heights was the wrestler who stood out. Perhaps that was somewhat by design given that the No Quarter Catch Crew expressed interest in recruiting Heights later in the show. Although Heights needs reps, he is charismatic, has a good look, and his impressive amateur background can only help his cause. Heights stood out as a high level prospect with major upside.
Michin vs. Jaida Parker: More of an in the middle than a Hit or a Miss. It seemed like Michin was the babyface and Parker was the heel when the match started, but the involvement of Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson seemed to shift that dynamic. If nothing else, at least Parker was protected in defeat.
Wendy Choo vs. Brinley Reece: It’s too early to say whether the dark Choo character will click, but I’m already enjoying it more than her kid friendly, adult turnoff babyface persona. I’m also all for seeing the obnoxiously happy Reece character take losses.
NXT Misses
Roxanne Perez’s State of the Women’s Division Address: NXT closed an otherwise good episode with the worst segment of the night. Perez bragging about retaining her title at NXT Battleground was routine, but then came the odd parade of fellow heels Jacy Jayne, Jasmyn Nyx, Lash Legend, Jakara Jackson, and Lola Vice. Perez and Vice clearing the ring of the others felt uneventful and I’m not really sure what the point of any of this was.
That’s Je’von Evans, Powell-a-mino. Your rival Packers must live rent free in your head with thinking of their former WR Javon Walker lol.
Am I the only one who notices that most in NXT say “woman” instead of “women”? Perez does it a lot but last night several people did it. This is WWE, not AEW, so I’m puzzled that they haven’t rectified it yet.
It’s sure to happen again, just like it took me months to go with Dax over Dak due to the Cowboys QB. It’s not really a Packers thing, it’s a fantasy football thing. December 22, 2003. I’m down in my fantasy bowl against my typically mellow brother, who got super cocky because he thought he had me beat. Brett Favre’s father died that week and he decided to play and absolutely lit up the Raiders on Monday Night Football. In the process, Walker had a big game of his own and won me the fantasy bowl. My brother and I still laugh about how cocky he was going into that game. I just looked it up. 124 yards and two scores for Walker. God bless that man!
LOL that must’ve been super sweet! He was so up and down his entire career there, but that’s also just how it went with Favre WR’s. I still remember when Favre threw the last second, gw td pass for the Vikings vs, I think, the 49ers, and he said he didn’t know the WR’s name!
I was there! It was Greg Lewis. Painfully dull game until the final seconds more than made up for it.