This episode of NXT started really strong with the Heritage Cup match, the quick but exciting tag team match, and then the Men’s Iron Survivor Qualifier. Then, the show hit kind of a lull with a couple of underwhelming segments and quick squash matches back to back. However, the main event certainly helped the show pick back up at the very end. I am excited to see who else we will get in the Iron Survivor Matches as those matches (especially the Men’s) have been some of the strongest TV matches I have seen recently. Lyra is certainly coming into her own with the Women’s Championship. With all the heels in the Women’s Iron Survivor Match, she certainly has several great looking feuds to sink her teeth into. I found some of the story beats a little confusing but nothing that absolutely killed my interest. The matches also more than made up for their part as well.
WWE NXT November 21 2023 looks like a stacked card. The Road to Deadline is heating up as we are just over 2 weeks out. Xia Li looks to capture the NXT Women’s Championship from Lyra Valkyria in her first defense. Two more Iron Survivor Qualifying matches are also set up with Carmelo taking on Josh Briggs and Chase U’s Thea Hail facing Blair Davenport. We also have a Heritage Cup Match between super-grapplers Noam Dar and Chad Gable.
GREAT Noam Dar vs Chad Gable – NXT Heritage Cup Championship Match (WWE NXT November 21 2023 Opening Match):
This match begins with beautiful technical wrestling with Gable getting the better of Dar including an arm bar on the ropes. Gable gets hit with a cheap shot from Mensa and Dar hits a Nova Roller to pick up the first fall. Gable hits a Dragon Screw Leg Whip and Dar counters by launching Gable over the top rope. Both men battle to the top rope and Gable lands a superplex. Both men attempt small packages but neither gets a fall. Gable lands a diving headbutt and Dar hits a Flatliner on the outside and both get nearfalls. At the start of Round 5, Gable catches Dar with a Capo Kick and Chaos Theory to even up the score. Gable follows up with an insane series of offense including a brainbuster, a deadlift powerbomb and a Razor’s Edge DDT. As Gable goes to the top rope for a moonsault, Dar gets his legs up. Gable catches Dar’s foot and puts him in the Ankle Lock. Gable is wrenching Dar’s leg and grapevines as the time on Round 6 expires. Dar taps right after the bell rings and allows Dar to retain the Heritage Cup on a technicality.
Despite the Dusty Finish, this match ruled. Both men showed off their very impressive movesets and the story was built nicely. Dar has become so synonymous with the Heritage Cup, I am content for him to hold the cup until Stand & Deliver season or even past it. Gable has basically been declared as WWE’s most underrated talent and I am not going to disagree. Gable is so loved because he is a great wrestler but he also creates great spots and tells great stories. I really hope a Midcard title run is in his near future because a Intercontinental or US Champion leading Alpha Academy would be a great use of that group.
Results: Time Limit Draw (1-1)
Austin Knight WR Star Rating – 3.75 Stars
ABOVE AVERAGE Angel Garza & Humberto Carillo vs Edris Enofe & Malik Blade:
This match begins with Enofe and Blade hitting high flying double team moves to catch Garza & Carillo off guard. Garza & Carillo take over by hitting multiple strike based double team moves to wear down Blade. The match is being built to the Enofe hot tag and once it happens the match almost immediately ends. Carillo hits a wicked powerbomb and then Garza kicks Blade in the face off of a Carillo pop-up to pick up the win.
As a way to push Garza & Carillo into the NXT Tag Title picture, this match certainly served its purpose. My only complaint about the presentation is that Garza & Carillo had 3 different double team moves that were better than the finish to this match. Blade and Enofe are both incredibly talented athletes and are two guys that everyone should keep their eye on come Men’s Breakout Tournament time.
Results: Angel Garza & Humberto Carillo by Pinfall via Pop-Up Kick
Austin Knight WR Star Rating – 2.75 Stars
AMAZING Carmelo Hayes vs Josh Briggs – Iron Survivor Challenge Qualifying Match:
Before the match, we see both men tell their relevant friends (Trick Williams for Hayes and Brooks Jensen & Fallon Henley for Briggs) to stay behind. The match starts with big shoves and shouting from both men. Hayes strikes first with a Fadeaway followed by a crossbody to the outside. Briggs takes control with a rebound clothesline on the outside of the ring and then beals Hayes over the announce table as we go into commercial. Briggs remains in control with a gutwrench suplex and a big splash for a nearfall. Hayes comes back with a series of springboard moves and a scissors kick (which pops the hell out of Booker T) for a nearfall. Briggs lands a massive chokeslam and a huge lariat for another nearfall. Hayes counters another chokeslam with a lungblower and is going for his finisher when Lexis King interferes and distracts Hayes long enough for Briggs to hit a mid-air lariat and a big man moonsault for the win.
This match had two jobs to complete and it did both wonderfully. The first job was to build the story between Hayes and King (and by extension Trick). The fact that King cost Hayes could start Hayes’ frustration at Trick’s individual success with King playing the “devil on the shoulder”. The second job the match achieved (and the much harder one) was to put Josh Briggs over as a singles guy. This match was a small coming out party for the tag team powerhouse. His intensity was palpable and his power-move focused moveset is great for a guy his size. The Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge Match is going to be very interesting with several future stars in it.
Results: Josh Briggs by Pinfall via Moonsault
Austin Knight WR Star Rating – 4.0 Stars
GOOD Wes Lee/Dominik Mysterio Promo:
Wes Lee comes out and says that Judgement Day (and especially Domink Mysterio) sucks. Lee says that he needs the NXT North American Championship in order to feel whole again and he challenges Mysterio for a match at Deadline. On cue, “Dirty Dom” comes out and runs Lee down for being a huge loser and that he doesn’t deserve a title match as the crowd boo relentlessly. Lee tells Dom to shut it and that he would do anything to get a rematch. Dominik then offers Lee a title match if Lee can beat 3 former North American Champions next week. Lee accepts the challenge.
It was revealed later that the 3 former North American Champions are Cameron Grimes, Bronson Reed, and Johnny Gargano. This Fatal 4-Way match has the potential to be really fun if it was a #1 Contender’s Match. However, the stipulation of if Lee wins he gets a title match seems to telegraph the finish a little bit. Despite this odd storytelling choice, I would really enjoy a match between Lee and Dom as their first match was good. If you give the two men a couple more minutes and a bigger stage, you could make a really fun opening match for Deadline.
Austin Knight WR Star Rating – 3.0 Stars
SQUASH Blair Davenport vs Thea Hail – Iron Survivor Challenge Qualifying Match:
Thea Hail is only accompanied by Jayce Jayne and debuts her new (very generic hard rock) entrance music. The match begins with Davenport working Thea’s arm with stomps, dropkicks and armbars. Thea lands a flipping senton and the Chase U student section pops. This distracts Davenport with a flash knee to pick up the win and advance to the Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge Match.
This match was over very quickly but it puts over how dangerous Davenport is. Something I noticed was that all three of the first qualifiers for the Women’s Iron Survivor Match are heels. This is certainly fine as everyone in the match certainly deserves to be there. The story of Chase U continues to build with the students showing more affection to Thea than Andre Chase. More will be revealed when Andre Chase “breaks his silence” next week.
Results: Blair Davenport by Pinfall via Flash Knee
SQUASH Charlie Dempsey vs Eddy Thorpe:
This match starts early with a couple of botches between Thorpe and Dempsey. Dempsey is wearing Thorpe down with submissions until Thorpe comes back with strong strikes. Pretty soon after this, Thorpe counters one of Dempsey’s holds into a rollup for the win. After the match, Dempsey is joined by Drew Gulak and Myles Borne and they jump Thorpe and stomp on his ribs. The three men stand tall and throw up the CatchPoint signal
This match was not pretty. Both men have very different strengths in the ring and they aren’t really complimentary here. Thorpe has great striking and Dempsey is a solid technician but these two styles are not complementary unless both men have other elements to dive into. In regards to the ending, the formation of another faction in NXT is fun. I don’t know if this is the next generation of CatchPoint or if they will have a new name, there are certainly worse things for these guys to do.
Results: Eddy Thorpe by Pinfall via Rollup
GOOD Xia Li vs Lyra Valkyria – NXT Women’s Championship (WWE NXT November 21 2023 Main Event Match):
This match was originally going to go on second but Xia Li jumps Lyra as she is making her entrance and it isn’t clear if Lyra is able to compete in the match. Instead the match is pushed to the main event. As the main event opens, Lyra starts out hot with a great arm drag and a smooth dropkick out of the ring. Li takes over with a kick to the face while Lyra has the ring skirt covering her face. Lyra attempts to come back but Li shuts her down with a UFO. Lyra finally gets some offense in when she hits a leg trap German Suplex. This wakes up the crowd just in time for a strike contest followed by trading enzuigiris and superkicks and then counter rollups. Finally Lyra hits Xia with a Samoan Driver/Cradle Shock to pick up the win.
I think I would have enjoyed this match more if I hadn’t just seen the most overbooked version of this angle done on Saturday with the Full Gear Main Event. Despite the odd storytelling for the match, the physicality in the ring was great. The crowd are really getting behind Lyra as champion and Xia was a perfectly serviceable first contender. I think they could’ve built this story a little bit more to have a great blow-off match at Deadline but that card might be getting kind of full.
Results: Lyra Valkyria by Pinfall via Samoan Driver
Austin Knight WR Star Rating – 3.25 Stars
Overall – WWE NXT November 21 2023
This episode of NXT started really strong with the Heritage Cup match, the quick but exciting tag team match, and then the Men’s Iron Survivor Qualifier. Then, the show hit kind of a lull with a couple of underwhelming segments and quick squash matches back to back. However, the main event certainly helped the show pick back up at the very end. I am excited to see who else we will get in the Iron Survivor Matches as those matches (especially the Men’s) have been some of the strongest TV matches I have seen recently. Lyra is certainly coming into her own with the Women’s Championship. With all the heels in the Women’s Iron Survivor Match, she certainly has several great looking feuds to sink her teeth into. I found some of the story beats a little confusing but nothing that absolutely killed my interest. The matches also more than made up for their part as well.
Matches: 0.5/1 Stars
Show Structure: 0.5/1 Stars
Atmosphere: 0.75/1 Stars
Storytelling: 0.75/1 Stars
Production/Theme: 0.75/1 Stars
Overall Rating. 3.25/5 Stars
Photo Credit: (wwe.com)
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