Powell’s NXT Hit List: Thoughts on the Great American Bash build, Naraku teasing that he isn’t flying solo, the difference between Jaida Parker and Thea Hail’s recent losses

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

NXT Hits

Tavion Heights vs. Jackson Drake for a shot at the NXT North American Championship at Great American Bash: A strong match with the right guy going over, simply because of the story they’ve been telling with Heights and Myles Borne. The future is bright for Drake, who won’t be hurt by one loss. Kudos to the creative forces for having all three No. 1 contenders’ matches set up singles championship matches for the Great American Bash rather than taking the easy way out with more Triple Threat title matches.

NXT Women’s Champion Lola Vice and Kendal Grey vs. NXT Women’s North American Champion Zaria and Kelani Jordan: A good television main event. There were some rough moments, but far more good than bad. I wasn’t a fan of Zaria taking the loss just a week after winning her championship. As much as I like Jordan’s work, she seemed like the obvious person to take the pin, given that she’s the only person not booked for a title match at the Great American Bash. Well, at least so far. Call me paranoid, but with this brand’s history and having Zaria take the loss, it left me wondering if they still intend to add Jordan to the NXT Women’s Championship match somehow. Ideally, the plan is for Jordan to be the top contender coming out of the Bash.

Nattie vs. Jaida Parker: A lengthy match by NXT standards with good work from both wrestlers. It’s a shame that the Nattie character wasn’t given much of a chance on the main roster, but hopefully she’ll make more NXT appearances. I’m not hitting the panic button for Parker. They are clearly telling a story with her growing frustration. Parker’s recent losses are fine if they lead to something bigger and better.

Tony D’Angelo and Naraku meeting: The unique setting grabbed my attention. The verbal exchange was solid. Naraku seemingly teasing that he’ll have some backup was an interesting development, though I understand if that was enough to make fans who suffered through constant House of Torture interference break out in a cold sweat.

NXT Misses

Arianna Grace vs. Layla Diggs in WWE Women’s Speed Title tournament match: Two Speed matches in one night? Just throw in the towel on this nonsense and eliminate two worthless titles. Grace stole the win, but Diggs showed impressive athleticism.

Izzi Dame vs. Thea Hail in WWE Women’s Speed Title tournament match: The outcome didn’t surprise me, but is Dame’s push really leading to her winning a throwaway championship? I guess that’s more love than Hail is getting from the NXT creative team these days. While there’s a story behind Jaida Parker’s recent losses, that doesn’t seem to be the case with Hail. If they don’t have anything for Hail in NXT aside from adding an energy drink to her entrance, then perhaps a stint in TNA or AAA would be good for her.

(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.)