By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
NXT Hits
Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo vs. Tony D’Angelo vs. Luca Crusifino: The rollercoaster ride continues. One week, I’m ready for the D’Angelo crime family drama to end. The next week, they do something to pull me back in. Touting next week’s Triple Threat as the final battle is a nice hook, and I’m genuinely curious ot see what comes next for these three and Adriana Rizzo if this is the end of the family.
Hank Walker and Tank Ledger vs. Shawn Spears and Niko Vance for the NXT Tag Team Titles: The Culling still feels undercard and cold, but the match was well worked. The crowd was a little on the quiet side initially, but they got behind the tag team champions as the match went on.
Ricky Saints vs. “The Vanity Project” Brad Baylor, Ricky Smokes, and Jackson Drake in a gauntlet match: It’s hard to imagine that the Vanity Project losing this match will make WWE Evolve more enticing to NXT viewers. That said, Baylor, Smokes, and Drake are impressive young prospects, and this loss won’t do any long-term damage to the trio.
Mike Santana and Joe Hendry vs. “The High Ryze” Tyriek Igwe and Tyson Dupont: A soft Hit for a showcase win for Santana and Hendry. Igwe and Dupont did their part by making the babyface duo shine.
Oba Femi and Yoshiki Inamura: A soft Hit. It was cool to see The Great Muta, Naomichi Marufuji, Iyo Sky, and others wish Inamura good luck in the video package regarding his NXT Championship match at the Great American Bash. The actual in-ring segment involving the champion and the challenger was decent. The fans like Inamura, but it still feels odd seeing him thrust into the NXT Championship picture out of nowhere.
Kelani Jordan vs. Lainey Reid: A soft Hit for solid match capped off with an impressive version of split-legged moonsault by Jordan. Hopefully, Jordan was just selling her knee afterward.
NXT Misses
NXT Women’s Summit: A contrived segment with so many wrestlers showing up that some weren’t even acknowledged, including new U.S. Women’s Champion Giulia. This whole thing felt like it was more trouble than it was worth for a battle royal.
Charlie Dempsey vs. Tavion Heights: Is it wrong that my favorite part of the match was Dempsey stomping the leg that Heights covers for cosmetic reasons? Maybe I’m the problem, as I also wasn’t a fan when Wren Sinclair covered one leg either. Anyway, the match was enjoyable until it ended abruptly with a flat finish. I’m high on everyone in No Quarter Catch Crew, and yet the faction as a whole does nothing for me. As such, it was disappointing when Sinclair threw in the towel to keep Heights in the fold.
Blake Monroe and Jordynne Grace at the salon: A minor Miss. Sol Ruca and Zaria have competition for NXT’s corniest odd couple skit.
Something tells me Blake’s turning on Jordynne before Sol and Zaria finally turn on each other.
Was that a Godfather reference on the D’Angelo family or just a nice accident? Lol
What’s the point of having a comment section Jason when you and John rarely leave replies?Is it time consuming?Just curious about that..
Cut em some slack, To. John’s tied up with stopping strangers on the street to tell em that Kazarian shouldve been the one to beat Hendry for the title, while Powell is busy collecting Fallon Henly’s toenail clippings. There isn’t time for everything to get done lol
Tom*
Very simple. So readers can leave comments or have discussions with others. It’s not a Q&A section. I follow several writers from various genres who have comment sections, yet never actually post there. I do when time permits. Did I miss a question? Either way, you can always email me if I miss a question that you really want answered.
LOL