By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
NXT Hits
Oba Femi and Trick Williams vs. Grayson Waller and Austin Theory: An enjoyable television main event that featured the expected tension between Femi and Williams. Eddy Thorpe blasting Williams with a strap to set up Waller going over was a minor surprise in that I assumed that Williams would be added to the NXT Championship match at Vengeance Day. Rather, all signs now point to Williams vs. Thorpe in a strap match.
Stephanie Vaquer vs. Jacy Jayne: They opened the show with a good, competitive match. Perhaps it was too competitive given that the outcome never actually felt like it was in question. Hopefully the goal was to give Jayne more in-ring credibility in defeat. The finishing sequence with Jazmyn Nyx running in and attempting to break up a pin, yet not being disqualified because she never made contact with Vaquer felt overbooked and unnecessary. On a side note, less is more with Vaquer’s promos. I appreciate the effort she and Giulia are showing by cutting promos in a language that is new to them, but Vaquer could easily get away with being cast as a dark and mysterious woman of few words until she’s truly ready to deliver promos in English.
JDC appears: It was nice to see the fans pop big for the return of the former Fandango. Using the Fandango entrance theme was great, but I’m happy that JDC kept his TNA name. It was also nice that someone finally called out Lexis King on whatever the hell he does to his face with that painted beard. More on King later.
Ridge Holland vs. Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo: A soft Hit. Holland got the win and took a cheap shot at Tony D’Angelo, but it feels like Stacks is on a path to become more than just a setup man for the NXT North American Champion. The Stacks character continues to hold a grudge over Tony D’Angelo not appearing at ringside for a recent tag team match, so it will be interesting to see where that goes.
Kelani Jordan vs. Karmen Petrovic: A soft Hit. There were some choppy moments, but it’s encouraging to see an attempt is being made to toughen up the Jordan character. Ideally, Jordan will keep her likable personality while showing a bit more of an edge in the ring. Holding her own in a match with Jaida Parker should go a long way for Jordan.
NXT Misses
NXT Women’s Championship Summit: We interrupt your regularly scheduled build to the NXT Women’s Championship match at Vengeance Day so that Charlotte Flair can come out and tell everyone how great she is.
Lexis King promo: King lost me when he said that he is on a path to be the biggest star in professional wrestling. Sure, it’s nice that he didn’t say sports entertainment, but the line was so cliche and also felt like such a massive reach that it caused a disconnect. And that was early in the promo that overstayed its welcome. The problem with King trying to play Mr. Nice Guy was that he was boring and just plain unlikable. Therefore, it didn’t pack a punch when he taunted the fans over his decision to take a heelish path because they never got invested in him as a babyface to begin with. King also mentioned that the NXT Heritage Cup matches will now be single fall matches. It’s ridiculous because his character should have no power to make this change, especially at a time when Ava is freaking out on other wrestlers for trying to book their own matches. But I have no complaints over the rounds format being dropped. While it worked in NXT UK, it just didn’t click here. And even though a big part of the reason it flopped was that NXT creative took a comedic approach when they reintroduced the Heritage Cup, the damage is done and this felt like a necessary switch. In fact, I wouldn’t be complaining today had they just retired the Heritage Cup once and for all.
Zaria and Sol Ruca vs. Gigi Dolin and Tatum Paxley: A minor Miss. I wasn’t sure which babyface team the fans were supposed to side with. This was a showcase of frustrating acts. The Dolin, Paxley, and Shotzi trio comes off like someone decided to put together three acts that are not clicking and hope that they somehow get over as a unit. It’s time to pull the plug on the Paxley’s oddball gimmick. She’s a really talented performer who desperately needs and deserves a reboot. I still can’t get over the way NXT made Zaria look like a monster with the introductory videos only to book her in throwaway tag team matches. Ruca is a future star who seems stuck in second gear creatively while the company waits for her to get more reps.
NXT could be a 2 hour women’s show and I wouldn’t complain. They have talent to burn and honestly some folks with real skills (Paxley, Ruca, oh pretty much everyone you named above) are slightly wasted for lack of time.
The Men’s side is looking a little bleak. Oba is a star; Page would be fine on the main roster; Tony D is still developing nicely, Trick gets a pop but Im still not sure what he will be. Wes Lee is also main ready and Fraxiom are the best tag team in all of wrestling. Outside of those few tho, the men’s division seems like a bunch of nobodies who might be great athletes but don’t scream “future WWE main eventer.”
So my question is, why is the women’s side excelling while the men are floundering? Training? Recruitment? Is it harder to break out as a male star?
Charlotte in the Miss column 3 days in a row! The Queen with another record!