Powell’s NXT Heatwave Hit List: Trick Williams vs. Ethan Page vs. Je’Von Evans vs. Shawn Spears for the NXT Championship, Roxanne Perez vs. Lola Vice for the NXT Women’s Championship

By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)

NXT Heatwave Hits

Trick Williams vs. Je’Von Evans vs. Ethan Page vs. Shawn Spears in a four-way for the NXT Championship: The storyline path to this match was bizarre, but the actual match was the best of the night. NXT newcomer Evans was not the least bit out of place in the main event and truly enhanced it with some of his terrific high spots. There were also a couple of strong near falls for Evans that Williams broke up at the last possible moment. The big spot with Williams shoving Evans off the top rope and through the broadcast table was great. The fluke finish with Williams drilling Page with a knee strike, which caused Page to fall on top of Evans for the three count while Williams was held by Spears at ringside was clever. I was open to the idea of Page stealing a pin over Williams when they met in the singles title match for the NXT Battleground event, so I’m just fine with Page taking the title in this four-way. Williams should do well in chase mode and it’s great to see Page featured prominently after he never got the singles push he should have in TNA and AEW. The closing shot of Joe Henry means we haven’t seen the last of the NXT and TNA working relationship, which is good news for both companies.

Oba Femi vs. Wes Lee for the NXT North American Championship: A hot main card opener. Femi has looked good in mostly multi-person matches, so it was great to see him rise to the occasion in another singles match. Of course, it helps that he was working with Lee, who is arguably the most consistent worker in NXT. Here’s hoping that Lee losing the match and no longer being able to challenge for the North American Title means he is main roster bound soon (a trip to TNA for a Rascalz reunion would also be fun). Lee has shined throughout his run in NXT and battled back from a major back injury. It would be nice to see his hard work rewarded with a call-up.

Nathan Frazer and Axiom vs. Andre Chase and Duke Hudson for the NXT Tag Team Titles: Here’s something you don’t see every day. The main card opened with three straight babyface vs. babyface matches. These four killed it with a back and forth match filled with big spots and quality near falls. The Chase U gimmick makes it easy to forget just how good Chase and Hudson are. The clean finish was nice. Between the threat of Ridge Holland interfering after being told to stay home or the tease of a potential meltdown involving the tag team champions, it was a pleasant surprise to get the clean finish.

Roxanne Perez vs. Lola Vice for the NXT Women’s Championship: A nice match. They told a story with Vice accidentally hitting the ring post casing with a spinning back fist that Perez avoided. Vice did an effective job of selling the injury for the remainder of the match. Perez went over strong, but the match was laid out in a way that made Vice look good in defeat. Sure, they had a hiccup on one of the Pop Rocks at the end, but the veteran Perez popped right up and hit the move again before getting the pin.

Kelani Jordan vs. Sol Ruca for the NXT Women’s North American Championship: This was an interesting match on paper with two fairly inexperienced prospects meeting in a babyface vs. babyface match. Could they produce a quality match? If so, would the live crowd be invested in a match involving two babyfaces. Yes and yes. They probably could have shaved off a couple of minutes, but the wrestlers did a really job given their experience level. As good as this was, imagine how good a Jordan vs. Ruca match can be a few years from now once they get more reps and learn how to slow down and make their big spots mean more.

Arianna Grace and Karmen Petrovic vs. Jacy Jayne and Jasmyn Nyx: A soft Hit for a decent pre-show match, especially considering that Jayne was the only NXT veteran involved. The oddball pairing of Grace and Petrovic clicked even if it was only for one night. All four wrestlers in this match have upside, but Grace’s gift of gab makes her stand out even if she is still a work in progress in the ring.

NXT Heatwave Misses

None: Well, let’s just say that Booker T’s color commentary is never a Hit in my book, but I digress. The Heatwave main card was good from start to finish. Here’s hoping that NXT will take their premium live events on the road more often (the UFC Apex does not count), as the live crowd created a great atmosphere and make the developmental brand feel major league.