‘WWE NXT’ Review (July 24th 2019)

Welcome to this week’s NXT review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have Damien Priest fighting Keith Lee in the main event, so let’s bolt down our furniture and kiss our roofs goodbye, because it’s NXT time! Did I sound like I cared, because I do?!

Match #1: Jordan Myles def. Angel Garza in the semifinals of the NXT Breakout Tournament

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Jordan Myles’s got game, but Angel Garza’s got mind games, and that was almost enough to unravel Myles’ hopes of advancing to the NXT Breakout Tournament Finals. Almost. From feigning a handshake at the start of the bout to playing possum midway through, Garza employed one trick after another. He complemented his psychological warfare with a concentrated attack on Myles’ lower back, a strategy that came into focus after he pulled the ring apron out from beneath Myles’ feet, causing the Texas native to take a nasty plunge to the floor. Despite the luchador’s savvy game plan, Myles proved to be tough as nails, and he rallied from behind to clock Garza with a discus clothesline and a deadlift German suplex for the three-count.

My Opinion: 3 out of 5 – This was an excellent little match that was so close to reaching that next level of quality, but time simply was not on its side. These guys have more than enough chemistry to make a series out of their matches with each other, so why not give them the shot at doing so? If a picture’s worth a thousand words, then why am I flat-ass broke? This was the case of a match that had a lot to say, but had to settle for just a few breathes of intent. That sentence sucked and it should stay as a means of humiliation for me. Also, not having a delete button has bitten me in the ass, once again. Fortunately, this match was good enough to survive my bad writing, so go forth and boogie! I’ll stop.

Match #2: Bianca Belair def. Xia Li

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Exhibiting the same heightened aggression that’s been her calling card since suffering back-to-back losses to Mia Yim, Bianca Belair made a thunderous statement against Xia Li. The EST of NXT enjoyed an obvious power advantage as she manhandled her smaller opponent, at one point tossing the self-described “Spicy Girl” overhead with a fallaway slam without even leaving her feet. Li’s attempts to kick her way back into the match proved fruitless when Belair barreled through her with a devastating forearm smash en route to a K.O.D. then spelled the end for Li.

My Opinion: 2 out of 5 – Belair looked good in a decent squash of a match. Belair kind of had an American Psycho vibe here that was a lot of fun. Okay, that’s another one in the books. In the words of Anthony Mackie, “Cut the check!”.

Match #3: Io Shirai def. Kacy Catanzaro

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Like a grenade that had just been tossed into the ring, Io Shirai exploded out of the gate in her one-on-one clash with Kacy Catanzaro. However, Shirai didn’t have long to inflict pain on the former “American Ninja Warrior” star, as almost as soon as the match got underway, Candice LeRae rushed the ring to unleash hell on her former friend. An incensed LeRae cracked Shirai with an enzuigiri and torpedoed her with a suicide dive before grabbing hold of a steel chair, the same implement that Shirai used to batter LeRae inside a steel cage last month. “Tenacious C” might have been out for poetic justice, but she wouldn’t find it this night, as Shirai quickly hightailed it out of harm’s way.

My Opinion: 0 out of 5 – This was less than a minute, because that’s what people tune in for.

Match #4: (Main Event) Damian Priest def. Keith Lee

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Keith Lee will have to wait a little longer to “change the narrative” in NXT. The titanic Superstar, whose frustrations have been mounting by the minute, came oh so close to dealing impressive newcomer Damian Priest his first loss on the black-and-gold brand. The only thing standing in Lee’s way, it turned out, were his own emotions. Lee matched The Archer of Infamy in terms of speed, strength and raw aggression. The two colossuses wowed NXT fans with their incredible mobility as they deftly dodged each other’s strikes in a fast-moving exchange reminiscent of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” And both Superstars displayed immense power, whether it was Priest launching the 330-pounder through the air with a Falcon Arrow, or Lee catching Priest when the 249-pounder flipped over the top rope with a tope con giro. Lee came undone, however, after Priest kicked him back-first into the steel steps. The impact reverberated throughout Full Sail Live, but Lee’s scowl indicated he wasn’t so much in pain, as he was enraged. Losing all composure, he charged after Priest, giving chase into the ring, but that only played into The Archer of Infamy’s hands. Priest slyly pulled the referee between himself and Lee, causing a momentary distraction that allowed him to clobber Lee with a cyclone kick and the Reckoning for the win.

My Opinion: 3 out of 5 – These guys probably broke a ring buckle or two on their way to finishing this match, because they’re so big. I like when a match just looks different from the first ring of the bell. This was like watching Danny Kaye drink one of those green potions from Dr. Jekyll’s lab in that Looney Tunes cartoon where Sylvester gets chased by Tweety after he/she/it drinks the potion and… I’ll stop. When you talk about deep-sea fishing… I’m getting off topic. This was a fun main event that had just enough to make up for Lee losing, which I don’t think should have happened.

News Of The Night:

1. Killian Dain and Matt Riddle are in a feud after last week’s brawl between the two.
2. Mia Yim attacked Jessamyn Duke to further the feud between Yim and Shayna Baszler.
3. Pete Dunne is now a part of NXT for the foreseeable future.
4. Pete Dunne, Roderick Strong and Velveteen Dream will fight for the NXT North American Title at Takeover: Toronto.
5. Candice LeRae attacked Io Shirai.
6. The 2/3 Falls Match for the NXT Championship will have a traditional singles match and a Street Fight as two of its stipulations.
7. Jaxson Ryker fights Tyler Breeze, next week.
8. Cameron Grimes fights Bronson Reed, next week.
9. Pete Dunne fights Roderick Strong, next week.

Final Verdict: 3/5

This was a show that was more about building toward other shows rather than savoring the one you were watching.