Powell’s NXT Hit List: Great American Bash night one with Roxanne Perez vs. Thea Hail for the NXT Women’s Title, Joe Hendry’s concert, Tony D’Angelo vs. Tavion Heights for the NXT Heritage Cup

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

NXT Hits

Roxanne Perez vs. Thea Hail for the NXT Women’s Championship: The wrestlers created drama and legitimate suspense while putting on a top notch television main event. A couple of the near falls had me wondering if we were going to see a title change. Hail came off really well despite coming up just short, and this was one of Perez’s best title defenses.

Tony D’Angelo vs. Tavion Heights for the NXT Heritage Cup: Heights had a great flurry of offense after Wren Sinclair gave him the fiery pep talk. It felt a little off that D’Angelo came back from that so quickly to win the match in the very next round. Perhaps it would have been better if Heights had his big round earlier in the match so that they at least could have had a suspenseful next round where he really pushed D’Angelo. Either way, D’Angelo is doing good work as the Heritage Cup holder and I don’t miss all of the comedy and outside interference that occurred while others held the cup in the American NXT.

Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn vs. Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles: A solid match and in what was actually the first title defense for the women’s tag team champions. Legend has come a long way from her early struggles and has good chemistry with Jackson, even if I would like to see Meta Four put to rest as a faction.

Contract signing for Ethan Page vs. Oro Mensah for the NXT Championship: I never would have guessed that Mensah would end up being the new 1-2-3 Kid, but the build to this television title match has worked. I wouldn’t want to see this match on a premium live event, but they really did set the table for a nice television title defense. And there’s always a chance that the match is entertaining enough that it elevates the feud to PLE level.

Je’Von Evans video: Am I the only one who gets a bit of a Justin Jefferson vibe from Evans? Much like the NFL superstar, Evans has an infectious personality and a likability factor that should play well to children and adults. I enjoyed listening to him tell pro wrestling related stories about his childhood and the video did a great job of letting viewers get to know a bit more about NXT’s fastest rising star. All of that said, I do not need to see Evans bust out the Griddy during a match. Okay, maybe just one time.

Cedric Alexander vs. Brooks Jensen: I was a bit torn while watching the match because both wrestlers really need wins. But it seems like they are telling a story with Jensen that perhaps required him to lose. Either way, Jensen is clearly working really hard and doing his best to make his new gimmick work.

Jaida Parker vs. Kendal Grey: Grey had her moments, including the fun spot where she suplexed Myles Borne at ringside. But Parker going over was clearly the right call, as she continues to stand out as a potential breakout star in the women’s division.

NXT Misses

Joe Hendry’s concert: This had to be a letdown for anyone who saw Hendry’s recent concert on TNA television. Hendry killed it with a similar in-ring concert and I hoped to see something just as fun on NXT. The song he sang about Gallus was decent, but it felt like he was just getting started when Gallus attacked him to set up next week’s Hendry vs. Joe Coffey match. By the way, it was a bit of an eyebrow raiser when Hendry spoke in the follow-up promo about trying to prove that he can hang with the best in the business in NXT while failing to mention TNA.

Fallon Henley, Jacy Jayne, and Jazmyn Nyx vs. Lola Vice, Sol Ruca, and Karmen Petrovic: A soft Miss due to some rough moments and botched spots. It wasn’t all bad by any means. It just felt like it was laid out to be overly ambitious with a lot of sequences involving too many moving pieces, which was asking a lot of some of the inexperienced wrestlers involved. It was nice to see Henley get the win for her team, though I continue to question the decision to turn her heel.