Powell’s NXT Hit List: Thoughts on what’s next for the loser of the NXT Underground match, the NXT Tag Team Title change, and Shiloh Hill’s lack of respect for pro wrestling history

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

NXT Hits

Kendal Grey vs. Lola Vice in an NXT Underground match for the NXT Women’s Championship: This was my favorite NXT Underground match to date. Granted, I’m not a big fan of the match because of the dark studio and the silliness of the developmental students pounding on the mat, but I enjoy the worked shoot style, which Grey and Vice pull off well. I mentioned going in that a Vice loss in the match they’ve positioned as her speciality could be a sign of her being main roster bound. Vice seems ready from an in-ring and promo standpoint.

NXT Champion Tony D’Angelo, Grayson Waller, and Cruz Montana: While it felt like it went a bit longer than necessary, their verbal exchange was still entertaining. They set up next week’s match between Waller and Montana to determine the No. 1 contender to the NXT Championship. I’ll be surprised if this doesn’t somehow lead to a Triple Threat, but I thought the same thing going into the Great American Bash, and they surprised me by sticking with singles matches for the top titles.

Jaida Parker and Thea Hail vs. Nikkita Lyons and Karmen Petrovic: A nice tag team opener. The teams worked well together, and the live crowd was invested in the match. I like Nattie’s faction, but they need mic time and character development. Lyons seems to have a big personality, and it seems like creative should be doing more with her.

Wren Sinclair vs. NXT Women’s North American Champion Zaria for the WWE Speed Championship: A soft Hit for a decent match. The match being so competitive was surprising. I thought Zaria would get the majority, but Sinclair would survive long enough to reach the time limit. I suppose the idea was to build up Sinclair for her NXT Women’s North American Championship match next week, which she earned by retaining her title. Oh, and the Speed titles are worthless and a complete waste of three to five minutes.

Keanu Carver vs. EK Prosper: A soft Hit for an entertaining match with the right guy going over for a change. That’s not a shot at the talented Prosper. Rather, I continue to believe that Carver should be positioned as a badass who rarely loses. He’s also one of the best talkers in NXT, and yet we rarely hear from him. I like Carver and Myka Lockwood, but the idea of putting them together doesn’t do much for me.

NXT Misses

Lucien Price: Price said his tag team partner Bronco Nima’s backup plan is being in AAA’s Los Perros del Mal faction. Price actually said his own backup plan is the WWE Speed Championship. Congratulations to Price for having the worst idea for a backup plan since Brian Dunkleman left American Idol for a comedy career.

Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes vs. Myles Borne and Tavion Heights for the NXT Tag Team Titles: A Hit for match quality, but a minor Miss for this feeling rushed. If there’s some reason they had to do a title change, then Borne and Heights are a fine choice to win the tag titles. If not, then what was the rush? Sure, the live crowd reacted favorably when Borne and Heights won, but that’s the norm with title changes. The real tell was the way the live crowd reacted throughout the match. They were invested to some extent and liked the babyfaces, but they weren’t clamoring to see the challengers win. With the right title chase booking, these teams are good enough that the challengers could have chased the champions for a few months and had fans begging for a title change.

Shiloh Hill: How dare he question the legitimacy of the tournament in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, that crowned Pat Patterson as the first Intercontinental Champion? Is he going to follow up by saying something absurd like Hulk Hogan wasn’t the first person to bodyslam Andre the Giant? Despite this man having no respect for pro wrestling’s bogus, er, rich history, here’s wishing him the best in his recovery from a fractured maxilla.

(Jason Powell, founder and editor of ProWrestling.net, has covered pro wrestling full-time since 1997. He hosts the 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.)