‘WWE NXT’ Review (July 20th 2021)
Welcome to this week’s NXT review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have Karrion Kross, who was booked to lose to Jeff Hardy on Raw in two minutes. At least it wasn’t…Triple H! Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!! Triple H: I hate everybody! Me: Shut the f–k up cuck! Let’s get to the wrestling!
Match #1: KUSHIDA/Bobby Fish b. Tyler Rust/Roderick Strong
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Kushida & Bobby Fish didn’t waste a second making their intentions clear, as they went on the attack against Roderick Strong & Tyler Rust before the opening bell. The Diamond Mine attempted to impose their will, but Fish’s strength tipped the balance to set up the NXT Cruiserweight Champion for a submission win on Rust.
The Verdict: 7 out of 10 – This was a pretty simple tag match that picked up speed as it ran it’s last few laps. There’s something to be said about solid grappling being followed by decent tags. I can’t say this was a masterpiece of the stipulation, but it was prrof that you don’t have to just do spots the whole time to have a tag match.
Match #2: Frankie Monet b. Jacey Jane
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Franky Monet was joined by Jessi Kamea in her entrance into the Capitol Wrestling Center, but it was the presence of Mandy Rose at the commentary desk that stole her attention. Once Monet was able to refocus, the flashy Superstar planted Jacy Jayne to continue her unstoppable start on the black-and-gold brand.
The Verdict: 2 out of 10 – Not much happened here and it all ended too quickly.
Match #3: Kyle O’Reilly b. Austin Theory
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Austin Theory’s loudmouthed antics talked him into a match with the technical excellence of Kyle O’Reilly, but the brash Superstar kept up the trash-talking throughout the match. O’Reilly talked last week about needing to dig deep for a killer instinct in combating his former friend Adam Cole, and the Superstar seemed to snap late in the showdown with Theory. After an elbow laid waste to Theory, O’Reilly showed no mercy in locking in a submission long past his opponent’s tapout.
The Verdict: 7 out of 10 – This was a very intense match that had a good grip on what it was there to do. Theory looked formidable against Kyle, who himself was very convincing as a destroyer by attrition. You get lots of ground work here and the submissions near the end were superb. While it could be said that this didn’t quite reach the level it could have, I would not say that this was a failure at all.
Match #4: Odyssey Jones b. Andre Chase – NXT Breakout Tournament Quarter Final
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The full power of Odyssey Jones was on display against Andre Chase. Chase went high-risk with a moonsault to try and steal the win, but the imposing Jones smashed his way into the next round of the NXT Breakout Tournament with a final thunderous slam.
The Verdict: 2 out of 10 – This was pretty clumsy and slow. That’s really all to say besides it being too brief.
Match #5: Drake Maverick b. LA Knight
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
LA Knight’s obsession with torturing Cameron Grimes led to his showdown with Drake Maverick, and it cost him in the final moments of the match as well. As the Million Dollar Champion continually barked orders at his butler, Maverick came out fighting, and a sliding kick resulted in LA Knight smashing his head into the title to lead to the defeat. Stunned by his loss, LA Knight went on the attack and forced Grimes to deliver the final blow to Maverick in his last act of humiliation.
The Verdict: 2 out of 10 – Two minutes of okay is not enough.
Match #6: (Main Event) Raquel Gonzalez b. Xia Li – NXT Women’s Title Match
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Xia Li showed no fear heading into her NXT Women’s Title Match with Raquel Gonzalez, and a slam of the champion into the steel steps had the challenger trending toward the upset. Big Mami Cool shook off the attack and launched her own with a crushing moonsault off the ropes that nearly left Li unable to continue. Smelling blood in the water, Gonzalez sprang into action with an earth-shattering, one-handed powerslam that sealed the win.
The Verdict: 7 out of 10 – This went about ten minutes and was getting really good, but a top-rope twisting back-body drop to Li crushed her stomach and may have broken something. The match was finished a moment or two after this to give Raquel a quick victory. I hate that s–t when wrestlers do moves and they can’t see what they’re doing. Triple H and all his goons need to stop teaching that s–t as the gospel, because that s–t ain’t worth praying to. God that pissed me off. Now Raquel is gonna feel bad for something that she had no control over once she got off the top rope. Well, I hope Li is alright. The match was good. There you go.
Final Verdict: 5/10
A lot of time was wasted on Samoa Joe and Karrion Kross teasing a brawl and William Regal getting taken out by Kross. The matches didn’t go too long, so that means the promos, like the one between Hit-Row and Legado Del Fantasma, ruled the show. I hate promos. Just give me some f–king wrestling. Also, no more moves where no one can see where they are going.
