By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
NXT Hits
Grayson Waller’s promo: This one came out of nowhere. I have mixed feelings on the worked shoot promos in general, but Waller delivered it extremely well and generated a lot of buzz. While it’s disappointing that creative never got it right with him on the main roster, it’s good to see him back in NXT rather than sitting on the sidelines while less talented people get more television time. Maybe becoming a main roster world champion isn’t in the cards for Waller. But he has the gift of gab and knows how to generate heat, meaning there should always be a place for him. Hopefully this NXT reset is the opportunity he needs to get his career back on track. His lines about the NXT women’s roster being superior to the men’s roster were spot on. The additions of Waller and Cruz Montana add some juice to the NXT title picture. Hopefully they can keep the title picture interesting while Shiloh Hill, Tristan Angels, Jackson Drake, Keanu Carver, Myles Borne, and others are main event ready.
Cruz Montana speaks: The former Mike Santana delivered his usual strong promo and was able to bond with the live crowd quickly. While I’m not crazy about the name change, history suggests that it will grow on me. But Montana failing to address the name change was the one weak spot of this promo. Montana’s realness is his superpower. He’s opened up about losing his father, his own addiction issues, and his relationship with his daughter. He feels like an open book compared to most wrestlers. So it didn’t feel right when he failed to address something as big as a sudden name change during his promo. I know he addressed the change online and explained that the name is a tribute to his late father, but it’s something that should be covered for the bigger television audience. Nevertheless, Montana is a terrific addition to the NXT brand, and I’m looking forward to seeing him work with Tony D’Angelo when the time is right.
Shiloh Hill vs. Tristan Angels: The best match of the night. It was so refreshing to see Hill play it straight. I may have mentioned a time or two (thousand) that I find Hill’s comedy antics limiting. This version of Hill is money, and I hope it’s here to stay. Angels also delivered an eye-opening performance. Hill and Angels worked really well together, and I’d like to see this become a long-term rivalry without the campy comedy that hurt their feud leading up to last night. Angels needs to add a bit of nastiness to his character. And while it’s cool that he worked as a sheep farmer, it doesn’t really mesh with his blue blood-type character. WWE has something with these two if the creative forces can make the right character tweaks and avoid their sports entertainment impulses with Hill.
Myles Borne vs. Kam Hendrix for the NXT North American Championship: Another good match. Borne seems to be clicking more with the live crowd than he has in the past. He’s smooth in the ring, and hopefully he can find what’s missing from his game and put it all together soon. While there’s a lot to like about Hendrix, I hope his character develops a mean streak.
Kendal Grey and Lola Vice videos: These made for an effective push for next week’s NXT Underground match for the NXT Women’s Championship. Vic Joseph did a nice job of framing it as a premium live event main event on regular television.
Keanu Carver: I’m not sure what was up with Carver suddenly being polite in his dealings with Robert Stone, but that’s why I like it. While only time will tell whether I’ll like where this is going, the abrupt personality change grabbed my attention. Stone’s surprised reaction showed that this isn’t a case of creative changing directions and expecting everyone to pretend they don’t remember what the character was like before. Is Carver turning over a new leaf due to his recent losses, or is this a swerve that will lead to him doing something diabolical?
Lizzy Rain vs. Izzi Dame: A soft Hit for a decent match that was put together due to the wrestlers having similar-sounding names. Rain is a fun high-energy mid-card act. It will be interesting to see if she can flip the switch and play a less caffeinated heel when the time is right somewhere way down the road. I’m sure it takes time to put together a new entrance, but there better be one in the works for Dame and Niko Vance. The Culling faction should have been put to rest when Dame and Vance turned on Shawn Spears. The dark and brooding thing might work for Vance, but it’s never felt right for Dame.
NXT Misses
Uriah Connors and Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo vs. “OTM” Bronco Nima and Lucien Price: A soft Miss. The BirthRight faction just isn’t working despite having some talented people involved. The bigger issue for me is that the teased OTM split is built around Nima joining a faction established in AAA that has not been introduced on NXT television. I get that both promotions are under the WWE umbrella, but there’s so much content available these days that it’s asking too much of fans to keep up with it all. Besides, I like the OTM duo as a tag team, so I’d prefer to see them stay together.
(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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