Review: WWE NXT (6-25-2024)
It’s NXT!
It’s almost an entire day later than normal! I am doing my best! It will probably be normal again soon enough!
We start with an Earlier Today where “Ava” is addressing official and security in the parking lot, for some reason. She continues to struggle with looking anyone in the eye while she soullessly rattles off her lines. There have been so many Issues recently! The referees and other people who have never controlled a situation in wrestling history are on high alert!
Tag Team Turmoil
Winner gets a title shot at Heatwave. We start with Blade and Enofe and New Catch Republic. Both teams aggressive, wanting to end this as quickly as possible since they welcome new opponents immediately after the fall. So it’s just Fun Action from the jump until Enofe and Blade are eliminated.
In to face Bate and Dunne is Angel and Berto. It’s like watching a pitcher on a rehab assignment face a hitter on a rehab assignment in a Triple-A game. Both teams are wearing the same colors. This is some terrible attention to detail from Shawn Michaels and his crew. Apollo Crews runs down to distract the LDF boys and Bate gets a pin to hang in.
Next to face Bate and Dunne: THE GOOD BROTHERS! It’s over for these little fellas now. But the OC boys aren’t explosive guys, really, so Bate and Dunne get their chance to not get run over. Bate does his airplane spin and Booker vomits. Dunne gets Doc on a devastating inside cradle. Disgusting booking. To my disappointment, the crowd do not stage a walkout in protest.
OTM are not next in the match, but they are in the aisle to yell at the Good Brothers. Chase U, represented by Andre Chase and Duke Hudson, are in next. Personally I would not be banking my hopes on Andre Chase when there are alternate options. Hudson gets a big advantage but he can’t put it away. Double hot tags to Dunne and Chase, a very fair matchup. Ride Holland throws Chase out of the way of a Bate dive, which allows Chase to take a sudden opportunity and pin Bate after a flying crossbody, so Chase U win the whole shebang.
Earlier Today, some women watched highlights from last week’s show on a tablet. They discuss Roxanne Perez’s backfist not hurting Lola Vice last week. Now there’s a Very Natural Conversation between Perez and Karmen Petrovic.
Backstage, Ethan Page has a nice smile and an OK shirt.
After break, Dante Chen speaks with Nathan Frazer. Chen volunteers to be a cornerman for Frazer later if needed. Axiom arrives to confirm he will be Frazer’s cornerman later, and that he’s no longer obsessed with Frazer not wanting to have an occasional tag match and nothing more.
Here’s Ethan Page
We know that Je’Von Evans has his shot at Trick Williams at Heatwave, but if you didn’t, Ethan Page confirms it, then reminds you of other things that recently happened. Page believes his win over Evans — and not being eliminated from the battle royal Evans won — should scrap the Williams vs Evans match. It’s not an absurd idea or anything.
Page calls Ava down, and she starts talking in the aisle on the way in. Listen, I have probably said enough times how bad she is, but — ah, fuck it, it doesn’t matter. They had to do something with her, I get it. She’s clearly not going to cut it as a wrestler. And she’s learning on the job in a fairly high profile spot. Can she get better? Sure. Can she get better? Less clear.
But she’s so bad. Trying to even the playing field, Page drops a “bet on myself” to make himself worse. Ava tries to get bold and authoritative and … man. Dude. Come on. She admits he does have a point. Anyway, now here’s Shawn Spears. He wrestles Trick later and plans to beat him, as he also wants a title shot, at Heatwave.
Here’s Trick. He talks a bit and then both Page and Spears attack him, but here comes Je’Von Evans. It’s a big fight with all four and Ava doesn’t get out of the ring, she just hangs out in there. Eventually a few of Ava’s jack booted stormtroopers get down there to “break things up,” making it clear we definitely needed that Earlier Today video earlier. That was “foreshadowing.”
Backstage, Bate and Dunne confront Ridge Holland. Nothing much is said. Ridge leaves and “Hank and Tank” hit the scene to ask for a match with New Catch Republic next week. The request is made respectfully and Bate agrees to the match.
Backstage after break, Stevie Turner and Bob Stone are outside of Ava’s office. What a comedy bit! How will this odd couple work together at Ava’s side! Who could care! OH MY GOD END THIS
Joe Coffey vs Wes Lee
Oh boy. Joe Coffey and Gallus. Lee does one move and then recites a paragraph to the audience. Coffey blows a move in the corner where his feet slip on a springboard, but he saves it enough that you can call it an elbow drop if you want, which is all you can do. Vic Joseph pulls out an early Raw years Vince McMahon with a sudden, forced reference to a Current Event, in this case Justin Timberlake.
Can’t get into this match. Just very uniformly “mid-level modern NXT.” Lee wins clean so that gives him the crucial separation from Coffey in the NA title chase, which they needed to do. Maybe Michaels gets that groups who can’t get over don’t need to be protected so hard.
Post-match, Oba Femi has a mic up in the “balcony.” Oba Femi confirms that he will wrestle Wes Lee at Heatwave.
Backstage, Tony D’Angelo and the Family hang out around the Heritage Cup, and then are interviewed by Sarah Schreiber. D’Angelo does have respect for Frazer as an opponent, but he’s confident he’ll retain.
Backstage after break, Duke and Ridge receive an envelope of photos from their match the week before. Forget that though, HERE COMES THEA HAIL AND SHE’S SCREAMING!
NXT Heritage Cup Championship
Tony D’Angelo (c) vs Nathan Frazer
Frazer gets a quick fall in the first round, because he’s so experienced at these matches. But it doesn’t take long into the second round for D’Angelo to land a big shot and tie it up, and his fall was simply more impactful and has left Frazer reeling as the action resumes.
This has a lot of back-and-forth action in the next few rounds, especially the fourth and fifth. After the fifth, D’Angelo is hurting and likely fighting to survive the three minutes of the final round.
I’ve said before I just never have taken to the rounds system but I think a combination of me just changing over time, and this being a thing I only currently see employed on “WWE NXT,” has made me like the matches lately. It’s just sort of fun that Tony D’Angelo, in NXT, is the current king of this match, it helps that he breaks the mold of wrestlers I expect to see in a rounds system match, and the style is different with him in there. And most of the people he wrestles, too. It feels like a useful novelty. Anyway, D’Angelo is still the king, pinning Frazer in round six to win 2-1. ***½
Backstage, Trick Williams appreciates Je’Von Evans. Evans offers to accompany Trick later for his match. Trick politely declines. They part cordially.
Karmen Petrovic vs Roxanne Perez
This is not for Roxanne’s title. The sword idiot still has her sword she’s never going to use. Before this can really start, it’s Lola Vice, NXT’s greatest-ever prospect. Lola’s going to join commentary. Luckily there’s an extra headset right where she’s gonna sit.
Booker is just screaming over Vic Joseph trying to actually get the talking on the show going again. Lola’s commentary is … bad. But I don’t think they’ve given her much direction either. “Remember your lines, Vic is going to ask you these questions in this order,” etc. And nobody is helped by Booker’s refusal to recognize the rhythms of commentary.
Nobody’s even paying attention to the actual match here, poor Karmen might as well have been picked out of a hat for this spot. Maybe she was! Karmen does a very bad Natalya-like clothesline that she surely learned from teaming with Natalya. Roxanne’s just too good for her, it’s a real thing. A little slow on a spinning back kick, but Pop Rox hits and it’s over.
Post-match, Lola Vice approaches in-ring, blocks a Perez shot, and lays Roxanne out with a 305 backfist, then holds the belt up — and steals it. Lola is currently one of these great “tweeners” I’ve heard so much about here in 1999.
Is this good TV? Someone holding up a Noam Dar video call?
Dar says he’ll be out a while, and we pan back to see the rest of Meta-Four on a couch, where Oro Mensah in particular starts discussing his entire real life story. It’s honestly a very weird segment but Oro does as good a job with “strange-for-wrestling-TV” material, you can feel his emotion, then you get to laugh when he reveals the reason for him telling the story is he MUST get revenge on Ethan Page.
Backstage, the Good Brothers have laid OTM out with chairs, then Michin and Jaida Parker fight, too, which is the highlight of this whole thing, because Michin in particular is not afraid of possibly clipping an extra with an elbow to the temple when they step in for the pull-apart.
Backstage after break, it’s Ava in her Cool Outfit with a quick message for Carlee Bright and some match she’ll have sometime soon. They leave, Lola Vice delivers Roxanne’s belt to Ava’s office and says she wants a title match at Heatwave.
Damon Kemp vs Tavion Heights
Heights is fighting for a spot in the NQCC, which came about in roundabout fashion with Charlie Dempsey’s deteriorating mental state playing the key role. Vic gets to say “Papa Shango-esque shoulderbreaker,” which results in Kemp needing his shoulder popped back in ringside by Dempsey, in a very believable moment.
This is a real hands-sitting match for the audience, who don’t have a reason to care about Heights yet and just don’t care about Kemp. Kemp doing well and talks trash, which is a bad idea, wrestling will teach you. Heights starts throwing some nice belly-to-belly suplays and wins to take his spot in the group. They don’t kick Kemp out yet but I think the writing is on the wall for that dude. This feels like a replacement; Heights has far more upside, and it’s very clear when you watch them one-on-one.
Backstage, Kelani Jordan is with Kelly Kincaid. Average NXT promo (bad, but makes its point). Before the camera can leave, Jaida Parker is here to yell. Not at Kelani, she’s gone. Parker challenges Michin to a street fight next week. Hell yeah.
Backstage after break, Enofe and Blade and Brinley Reece chat. Here’s some other blonde woman to be mean to all of them. Oh, it’s Izzi Dame. I’m not being funny, I just haven’t fully remembered every name to match to face just yet. I’m still fairly new to most of these people!
In the locker room, Axiom consoles Frazer or whatever. “Chase U were great in tag team turmoil.” I mean, not really. That’s a generous description is all I’m saying. Frazer does some HBKomedy on his way out of the scene but the point is he’s still not as focused on the tag team as Axiom would like.
Sol Ruca vs Arianna Grace
This is for a women’s North American title shot at Heatwave. Ruca has a horrible match here, my God. But she does her finisher and wins clean as you’d have imagined.
Backstage, Roxanne Perez finds her belt in Ava’s “office,” and is mad that it’s there, which gives Ava some dialogue. Yeah. Call her back for more dialogue. Ava makes Perez vs Vice for Heatwave.
Backstage after break, Jacy Jayne and Jazmyn Nyx are mad, and then Fallon Henley joins them to also be mad. They’re upset about being overlooked, unlike a passing-in-the-background Karmen Petrovic.
Trick Williams vs Shawn Spears
Non-title, of course. Ethan Page is on commentary. I still can’t get a total read on what I think of Trick in-ring; like, I think at worst he’s totally fine and will make the main roster for some amount of time because his charisma is very real, and I think he can have good matches, but how much better can he get?
Before a break, Oro Mensah jumps his mortal enemy Ethan Page. Spears holds the advantage through the PIP break, and we come back to Spears holding Williams in a crossface. More Spears offense, then we get the Trick-Up.
This is a solid match, a fine NXT main event. Spears is a fine mechanic and all that. Hey here comes That Guy who keeps running to ringside. We get a longer look at him this time as he fights off security and the referee holds a waistlock and he throws some shit at Vic Joseph, then accidentally (?) whacks Williams in the head with a bit of wood, allowing Spears to hit C4 and win this match, so Ava will surely announce Trick vs Je’Von vs Page vs Spears. ***¼
Backstage, Stevie and Bob argue about the circular logic. AVA WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO! So she makes it official.
GRADE: B-
A couple of matches I really liked. The weird Oro Mensah thing I’ll think about for longer than anyone else. The incredible inconsistency of NXT in general. A fine episode of the show. Not great, but good.
Three Stars of the Show
Tony D’Angelo: This dude has gotten me into the “Heritage Cup.” That’s worth something.
Tavion Heights: It’ll take time but again, the higher ceiling is absolutely with this guy and not Damon Kemp. Maybe they’ll go where I’m expecting and Kemp winds up either released or a WWE rep exclusively working trios matches on NOAH tours, which is not a bad gig. Maybe not. But while Heights may not be some obvious top guy in the making, he’s got something Kemp just totally lacks and probably can’t learn.
Jakara Jackson: She held up that phone for a while, man.