By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
NXT Hits
Kelani Jordan vs. Jordynne Grace for the TNA Knockouts Championship: When Grace was in TNA for all those years, do you think she dreamt of someday leaving the promotion for NXT only to feud over the TNA Knockouts Title again? Anyway, this was the best match of the night. Jordan turning heel is an interesting and welcome development. I like John Moore’s idea of having her take over the Elegance Brand in TNA.
Tatum Paxley’s first promo since winning the NXT Women’s Championship: Paxley left the silly dolls behind again and produced another crowd-pleasing promo, this time about her desire to be a fighting champion. Izzi Dame’s attempts to talk Paxley out of defending the title effectively established that while Paxley may be likable, the Culling trio she hangs out with are still heels.
Kendal Grey vs. Lash Legend for the Evolve Women’s Championship: Legend dominated the first half of the match and looked good in the process. The spot where Grey jumped over the top rope and attempted a double stomp before Legend caught Grey’s feet in her hands and held up her entire body while lying on the mat was creative and visually impressive. Grey rallying to defeat the powerhouse made her look like a strong up-and-comer. By the way, if the goal of having Evolve wrestlers on NXT television is to promote the Evolve brand and weekly television show, why don’t they advertise Evolve television matches during NXT?
Jasper Troy vs. Axiom for a shot at the WWE Speed Championship: Troy going over was a pleasant surprise. I like Axiom, but there was no reason for a main roster to advance to the finals for this throwaway championship. As previously noted, Troy destroying wrestlers in short order could bring a different vibe to the Speed matches. Here’s hoping he beats El Grande Americano for the title in two weeks.
NXT Misses
Myles Borne vs. Tavion Heights: The fans had no incentive to side with one babyface over the other. I was hoping that the match would lead to a significant storyline development. Instead, it was a straightforward match followed by Heights brawling with Josh Briggs, and Trick Williams hitting Borne with a chair.
Too many titles: NXT titles. TNA titles. Evolve titles. WWE Speed titles. Occasionally, WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles. The AAA titles are coming soon, according to the advertising for two Gold Rush shows. It’s fun to have NXT, TNA, and AAA working together, but there is an absurd number of title belts on the weekly NXT television show. It’s hard to make titles and champions feel important when there are so many of them.
Tatum Paxley vs. Lola Vice for the NXT Women’s Championship: A minor Miss. It was a questionable move to pass up the chance to keep Paxley’s momentum going by having her win her first title defense clean. Granted, I didn’t expect her to beat Vice clean, but she could have beaten someone else clean before Fatal Influence attacked.
(Jason Powell, founder and editor of ProWrestling.net, has covered pro wrestling full-time dating back to 1997. He hosts a weekly podcast, Pro Wrestling Boom, and also appears regularly on the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast. Reach him via email at dotnetjason@gmail.com and on social media via @prowrestlingnet.bsky.social or x.com/prowrestlingnet. For his full bio and information on this website, click here.)
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