This was a good episode of NXT that saw several superstars appear for the last time before going to either Raw or SmackDown. The highlight of the show was the match in which JD McDonagh defeated Dragon Lee to end his time on NXT. The in-ring action was good and set up both men going forward. The lowlight of the show was the debut match of Dani Palmer. Palmer is a phenomenal athlete but not any storytelling to speak of in this match.
A few great matches in the show but nothing truly exceptional. The show structure was very good but not everything was great which hurt the watchability of the show. The atmosphere was generally good but not consistent. Several storylines were advanced but there are questions to be answered about the Dyad and what comes next for the NXT tag titles since the current champions are switching brands. I thought it made sense for Indi Hartwell to give up the NXT Women’s Championship but I’m currently unsure why Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre didn't do the same. Production was good but there wasn't much of a theme.
On tonight’s NXT: Wes Lee defends the North American Championship against Drew Gulak. Will Gulak dethrone Lee or become the latest failed challenger? Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre defend the women’s tag titles against Katana Chance and Kayden Carter. Will the champions take the titles with them to SmackDown? And Joe Gacy faces Joe Coffey with a chance to earn the Dyad a tag team title match.
GOOD Wes Lee (Champion) w/Tyler Bate vs Drew Gulak w/Charlie Dempsey for the North American Championship :
Dempsey tried to cause a distraction right off the bat but Lee wasn’t thrown off his game. Later, Gulak dropped Lee with an uppercut after jumping from the turnbuckle. After landing a suicide dive, Dempsey interfered again but Tyler Bate stepped in to stop any further damage. Now back in the ring, Lee finished off Gulak with a Cardiac Kick.
Results: Wes Lee by Pinfall via Cardiac Kick
Matt Cookson WR Star Rating – 3 Stars
Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn promise to take the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships to SmackDown.
GOOD Trick Williams and Bron Breakker:
Williams called out Bron Breakker for his attack and promised to always have Carmelo Hayes’ back. Breakker came to the ring and told Williams he is looking forward to embarrassing Hayes in his hometown. Williams wanted to fight with Bron Breakker and the former champion responded by booking a match for next week.
Matt Cookson WR Star Rating – 3 Stars
Noam Dar asked JD McDonagh to injure Dragon Lee to protect Dar’s Heritage Cup. In rejecting the proposal, McDonagh warned Dar to stay away from him.
GOOD Gigi Dolin vs Jacy Jayne:
Jayne took an early advantage and trash-talked Dolin’s little brother, who was in the audience. This lit a fire in Dolin, throwing Jayne into the barricade and then the steel steps. After hitting her head on the exposed turnbuckle, Jayne scored the win with a discus big boot. Jayne kept up the beating after the match.
Results: Jacy Jayne by Pinfall via Discus Big Boot
Matt Cookson WR Star Rating – 3 Stars
GOOD Axiom vs Scrypts:
Scrypts hopped into the ring as Axiom was making his entrance to start the match early. Later using the announcer’s table, Scrypts flipped onto Axiom. After turning the match around, Axiom landed a dropkick and a suplex. Axiom hit Golden Ratio and made the pinfall. Axiom offered a handshake to his opponent but Scrypts responded with a punch. In retaliation, Axiom unmasked Scrypts as the crowd chanted “Reggie.”
Results: Axiom by Pinfall via Golden Ratio
Matt Cookson WR Star Rating – 3 Stars
Brooks Jensen offered Fallon Henley some business advice that he learned from Kiana James.
GREAT Dragon Lee vs JD McDonagh:
McDonagh had an early advantage but the high-flying Lee quickly fought back. McDonagh tried a slide into Lee as the latter was hanging from the turnbuckle. However, Lee moved last second, sending McDonagh groin first into the corner post. Later, McDonagh hit a super Spanish Fly and a brain buster but failed to put away Dragon Lee. Noam Dar distracted Dragon Lee outside the ring. McDonagh took advantage with a headbutt and the Devil Inside to win his last match on NXT.
Results: JD McDonagh by Pinfall via Devil Inside
Matt Cookson WR Star Rating – 3.5 Stars
Ahead of his match with Coffey, Joe Gacy is told by Ava Raine he needs to do something for himself after the match.
GOOD Joe Gacy vs Joe Coffey:
Coffey landed a hard German Suplex but Gacy kicked out. Later, when it looked like Coffey had Gacy put away, Rip Jagger moved Gacy’s leg to the rope. This resulted in the other members of Gallus chasing the Dyad around the ring. With the commotion causing a distracted ref, Ava Raine snuck in the ring and feigned that Joe Coffey hit her. Opening the door for Gacy to hit a lariat and earn the Dyad a tag title opportunity.
Results: Joe Gacy by Pinfall via Lariat
Matt Cookson WR Star Rating – 3.25 Stars
Tank Ledger and Hank Walker were very excited for Dani Palmer’s match with Tatum Paxley. The hulking Oba Femi towered over the two men.
Damon Kemp hazed Eddie Thorpe for being a rookie. In response, Thorpe challenged him to a match.
ABOVE AVERAGE Dani Palmer vs Tatum Paxley:
The two traded submissions holds early on, as Palmer displayed impressive athleticism. Despite her disadvantage in experience, Palmer took advantage. She finished off with Paxley with a frog splash to win her first match on NXT
Results: Dani Palmer by Pinfall via Frog Splash
Matt Cookson WR Star Rating – 2.5 Stars
Duke Hudson ran the class for an absent Andre Chase. He dubbed himself Duke University.
GREAT Katana Chance and Kayden Carter vs Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre (Champions) for the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships:
The two sides brawled before the match, highlighted by Kayden Carter giving her partner a boost to land onto the champions. Later in the match, the champions set up their backstabber-swanton bomb combo but Kayden Carter broke up the pin. Another big moment came when Chance and Carter combined to hit Alba Fyre with a Spanish Fly off the turnbuckle but Fyre kicked out. In the finish, Alba Fyre had Katana Chance on her back and Isla Dawn hit Chance with Sister Abigail.
Results: Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre by Pinfall via Sister Abigail
Matt Cookson WR Star Rating – 3.5 Stars
Apollo Crews gave Trick Williams some words of encouragement as he mentally prepares for his match next week with Bron Breakker.
GOOD Indi Hartwell:
Hartwell credited The Way and the NXT fans for helping her get to where she is. As part of getting drafted to Raw, Indi Hartwell vacated the NXT Women’s Championship. Over the next four weeks, a tournament will determine the next champion. After placing the title in the center of the ring, Hartwell was carried out by Dexter Lumis. The show ended with a bunch of the women’s roster fighting in the ring.
Matt Cookson WR Star Rating – 3.25 Stars
Overall…
This was a good episode of NXT that saw several superstars appear for the last time before going to either Raw or SmackDown. The highlight of the show was the match in which JD McDonagh defeated Dragon Lee to end his time on NXT. The in-ring action was good and set up both men going forward. The lowlight of the show was the debut match of Dani Palmer. Palmer is a phenomenal athlete but not any storytelling to speak of in this match.
A few great matches in the show but nothing truly exceptional. The show structure was very good but not everything was great which hurt the watchability of the show. The atmosphere was generally good but not consistent. Several storylines were advanced but there are questions to be answered about the Dyad and what comes next for the NXT tag titles since the current champions are switching brands. I thought it made sense for Indi Hartwell to give up the NXT Women’s Championship but I’m currently unsure why Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre didn’t do the same. Production was good but there wasn’t much of a theme.
Matches: 0.5/1 Stars
Show Structure: 0.75/1 Stars
Atmosphere: 0.5/1 Stars
Storytelling: 0.5/1 Stars
Production/Theme: 0.75/1 Stars
Overall Rating. 3/5 Stars
Photo Credit: WWE
For inquiries about the rating criteria check out the article announcing the new system here:
