By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
NXT Hits
Tatum Paxley vs. Lizzy Rain for the NXT Women’s North American Championship: A good title match with Rain looking like she belonged despite taking the clean pinfall loss. Paxley continues to shine in the ring. Zaria spearing Paxley and Rain afterward sets her up with a couple of matches, and it seems like there’s a good chance that she could be the person who dethrones Paxley.
Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes vs. Dion Lennox and Saquon Shugars for the NXT Tag Team Titles: The live crowd got invested in the match despite it looking like a heel vs. heel match on paper. The fans logically sided with the DarkState duo over the pretty boy tag team. Baylor and Smokes are doing good work as the champions, so it was good to see them keep the tag team titles. The post-match angle with Lennox, Osiris Griffin, and Cutler James attacking Shugars provided a big development in the DarkState saga. Does that mean Lennox, Griffin, and James will move forward as DarkState while Shugars becomes a babyface? Jasper Troy continues to stand out as an intriguing option if Shugars will be replaced.
Mason Rook and Kam Hendrix vs. NXT Champion Tony D’Angelo and NXT North American Champion Myles Borne: The first thing that stood out was the size of Hendrix. For whatever reason, it didn’t stand out during his previous appearances, but it jumped out when he was in the ring with Borne early in the match. Hendrix was listed as 6-4 when he played football at San Diego State. Rook appeared to be only an inch or two shorter than Hendrix, and he worked well for a big man. He was a little slow at times, but his offensive moves looked good. It will be interesting to see if Rook and the training staff are content with him working as a super heavyweight, or if the goal is for him to transform his body. The match was entertaining. I’m surprised they didn’t just have one of the heels beat Borne, but having Taveon Heights’ actions backfire adds to their growing friction. Hendrix stealing the pin from Rook was an unexpected twist. The verbal exchange between the two was interesting. Hendrix came off like a guy cutting a promo, whereas Rook felt more authentic. Rook was much better trading lines with Hendrix than he was while cutting a standard promo last week. Rook calling out Hendrix for stealing the pin and leaving him lying seemed to suggest that someone called an audible to turn Rook babyface.
Tristan Angels vs. Romeo Moreno: There was a risk of trying to accomplish too many things in one match rather than simply showcasing Angels. It ended up working out nicely with Angels winning the match, while Moreno showed heart and looked good in defeat. Shiloh Hill’s Mr. NXT bit was way too precious for this viewer. A petition to be named Mr. NXT? Why do they keep making this guy look like a dork?
The start of the new NXT cycle: Would NXT be a better product with Oba Femi, Je’Von Evans, Sol Ruca, Blake Monroe, the Fatal Influence trio? Of course. As much as some fans hate to see NXT lose its best talent, that’s the way it works for the developmental brand. And while an influx of new and typically unproven talent can lead to a decline in match quality, it’s actually one of my favorite times to watch the NXT product. After long stretches when the roster is set, and there’s little room for newcomers, the slate is wiped clean, creating a plethora of opportunities for the next wave of talent. Some will make it, some will not. You might see the next WrestleMania main eventer early in their career, or you could see the next Gable Steveson-type who comes in with a ton of hype and potential, yet just doesn’t have it as a pro wrestler. This part of the developmental cycle isn’t for everyone, but it’s necessary and can be just as entertaining as when the roster is polished, only in different ways.
NXT Misses
Keanu Carver vs. Tate Wilder: I praised the Angels vs. Moreno match for having Angels give up enough offense to make underdog Moreno look good in defeat. They used the same formula in this match, but I didn’t care for Carver giving up so much offense. It would have been fine if Wilder had one good hope sequence, but it was too much to see him push the typically dominant Carver. I felt bad for Wilder, but the best thing about this match for Carver is that he busted open Wilder’s eye, which played into his badass persona.
(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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