By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
NXT Hits
Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes vs. Sean Legacy and Dorian Van Dux for the NXT Tag Team Titles: A very good tag team match with the Vanity Project duo stealing the win with help from Myka Lockwood. The flashy offense of Legacy and Van Dux was impressive, and they looked good in defeat. Still, I like the call to keep the titles on the excellent young team of Baylor and Smokes. The tag team titles on the WWE main roster are treated like afterthoughts, so hopefully NXT will feature the former Swipe Right duo prominently by giving them a long reign with a wide variety of challengers.
Lola Vice vs. Kelani Jordan vs. Kali Armstrong in a Triple Threat to become the No. 1 contender to the NXT Women’s Championship: The match presentation was solid. All three women were shown arriving at the venue to open the show, and Vice and Armstrong engaged in verbal exchanges with NXT Women’s Champion Kendal Grey. The match was entertaining, and the finishing sequence was strong. Armstrong had some rough moments. It left me wondering why she’s been rushed into bigger matches when they haven’t done much character work with her (no, Evolve doesn’t count).
Jackson Drake vs. Tavion Heights: A good match with Heights looking great until Drake countered one of his moves to score the pin. It was interesting to hear the broadcast team question why Heights has underachieved. I liked the energy he showed while trying to fire up the crowd before the match. I don’t think the odd look of having long sleeves on one leg and one arm is helping, but the bigger issue is that the only things I could tell you about Tavion’s character are that he’s a former amateur wrestler who was in the No Quarter Catch Crew. It seems like a number of the wrestlers who have impressive athletic backgrounds don’t get enough creative attention during the introductory phase. Their characters are built around their athletic history, which isn’t always enough, especially when so many developmental wrestlers are standout athletes.
Reina Volcan: Another good vignette that showcased her impressive mic skills. Damn, those thighs. Before you grab a pitchfork, I assure you that there’s nothing sketchy about my admiration. I’m impressed because Volcan has more muscular thighs than most male pro wrestlers. It’s been a while since I’ve been this excited about a newcomer debuting on NXT television.
Naraku vs. Tate Wilder: A soft Hit for a solid showcase win for Naraku. Wilder’s thrillseeker gimmick has been used to explain that he throws caution to the wind by facing strong opponents that his character isn’t ready for. It’s helped to soften the blow because it feels like they are telling a story rather than just having him lose a bunch of television losses without explanation.
NXT Misses
Zaria vs. Izzi Dame vs. Lizzy Rain vs. Nikkita Lyons in a four-way for the NXT Women’s North American Championship: The match was fine. The Miss is for the way NXT played up the mystery of who would replace the injured Layla Diggs as the challenger. The way they pushed the mystery made it feel like someone out of the ordinary would step in. Rather, they actually went with two of the three wrestlers Diggs beat to become the No. 1 contender, which is strange. They could have announced the four-way ahead of time rather than raising the expectations of fans with the mystery tease. At least Zaria went over strong to keep the title. On a side note, Dame has a good look and has come a long way in the ring. But the latest flat crowd reaction to her entrance is a sign that she’s still not connecting with the audience. Putting an end to The Culling was a start, but there’s still work to be done.
Tristan Angels and Shiloh Hill: I’m tempted to launch a GoFundMe campaign to raise money so that Hill can have dental implant surgery. It might be the only way to stop the creative team from obsessing over his missing tooth. Whatever small amount of heat that was generated by Angels stomping on Hill’s one-tooth denture was eliminated when Hill’s character shrugged it off.
(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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