21st Jul2022

‘WWE NXT 2.0’ Review (July 19th 2022)

by Phil Wheat

Welcome to this week’s review of NXT 2.0, a show that – if I’m honest – rarely gets me excited to watch the programme these days. This week’s show was marked by the return of Zoey Stark during the 20-women Battle Royal! Let’s get into it.

Match #1: JD McDonagh def. Cameron Grimes

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

The fireworks from last week’s heated confrontation led to a fiery showdown between Cameron Grimes and JD McDonagh as the two Superstars traded fierce elbows and kicks before Joe Gacy mysteriously appeared to take in the match from above the ring. McDonagh targeted Grimes’ left leg throughout the match, wrapping it around the steel post before leveling Grimes with a chop block. Grimes attempted to rally on one good leg, but “The Irish Ace” caught him with a Glasgow Kiss before hanging Grimes up in the ropes for repeated kicks to the leg. Grimes finally slipped out of the ropes, but McDonagh was back on him in an instant, hitting a unique Olympic Slam for the pinfall victory.

My Score: 3.5 out of 5

Match #2: Roderick Strong def. Damon Kemp

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Despite his attempt to teach Damon Kemp a thing or two, it was actually Roderick Strong who learned a lesson in underestimating the newest member of Diamond Mine as Kemp came out fired up to drop Strong with a powerslam and a suplex. Shaking off the initial onslaught, Strong buckled down and answered back with a pair of knees to the midsection to take control. Strong continued to pummel Kemp, focusing on his midsection, until Kemp rallied with a belly-to-belly suplex and a slingshot spear through the ropes. After a pair of clotheslines left both competitors flat on the canvas, Tony D’Angelo appeared on the titantron to reveal he and his crew attacking The Creed Brothers. Kemp helped Strong up as they both watched on in shock, but as Kemp attempted to go help his Diamond Mine compatriots Strong pulled him back and clocked Kemp with a pop-up knee to secure the pin. Afterwards, Strong raced out of the ring to help The Creed Brothers leaving Kemp behind.

My Score: 2.5 out of 5

Match #3: NXT UK Tag Team Championship Match – Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen def. Pretty Deadly

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen were fired up for their first true title defense, taking it right to former NXT UK Tag Team Champions Pretty Deadly with a pair of big right hands. Kit Wilson & Elton Prince used their bag of tricks to throw off Briggs & Jensen and gain the upper hand, but after Prince accidentally barreled over Fallon Henley at ringside the country strong duo fired up. Jensen battered the UK duo for a time, but Pretty Deadly turned things around and isolated Jensen in their corner. Somehow Jensen kept the match alive and tagged in Briggs who steamrolled over Wilson & Prince. With both Superstars exhausted on the mat, Prince gave one NXT UK Tag Title to Wilson and slid one into the ring to distract the referee. Wilson looked to use the title on Briggs, but Henley intervened and grabbed the other end of the title resulting in a tug of war battle for control. Henley eventually let go sending Wilson falling backwards into Briggs & Jensen’s tandem clothesline and chop block allowing the two to pick up the win and retain the NXT UK Tag Team Titles.

My Score: 3 out of 5

Match #4: Axiom def. Dante Chen

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Axiom stunned and delighted the NXT Universe in attendance during his debut match against Dante Chen. The masked Superstar took some stiff shots from the larger Chen, but he quickly learned from his mistakes and changed the momentum with an acrobatic DDT. With Chen stunned, Axiom sprung into action with a quick flurry of offense capped off by a top-rope crossbody splash before tagging Chen with a flying kick to record a debut victory.

My Score: 1.5 out of 5

Match #5: 20 Women Battle Royal – Winner Zoey Stark

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

20 of NXT 2.0’s finest female Superstars crowded into the ring for a massive Battle Royal in the hopes of becoming Mandy Rose’s next challenger for the NXT Women’s Title. There was no love loss between any of the Superstars in a field that included powerhouses Nikkita Lyons, Lash Legend, and Ivy Nile as well as a surprise return by Zoey Stark. As the bell rang, everyone’s attention turned to Cora Jade who proclaimed she didn’t have time for this and stepped through the ropes before being chased off by Nile. “The Pitbull of Diamond Mine” was the first Superstar to pick up an elimination by sending Amari Miller packing with a flying kick. From there it was all out chaos as rivals battled it out and Superstars were tossed over the ropes left and right. Alba Fyre and Legend eliminated one another at the same time, but continued to fight at ringside while Wendy Choo, despite saving herself from elimination by landing on her body pillow earlier in the match, was blasted by Tiffany Stratton with her own mug to be eliminated. Stratton was one of the top contenders in the Battle Royal, eliminating three other Superstars as the field thinned out until only Kiana James, Lyons, Stark, and “The Buff Barbie Doll” were left. Lyons flattened dropped everyone in her path, catching James with a spinning roundhouse kick before dumping her to the floor, but Stratton seized the moment and flipped Lyons end-over-end to eliminate her from the match. Stratton and Stark duked it out as the final two competitors before Stark clocked Stratton with a vicious right hand on the apron to send her tumbling to the floor. As Stark celebrated her victory, Jade attempted to slip back into the match, but Stark caught her in mid air and dumped her over the ropes to remain the last woman standing.

My Score: 3 out of 5

Final Verdict: 3/5

An improvement over recent weeks and, at least for now, better than the past few episodes of Raw and Smackdown. But that’s not hard to do given how bad WWE programming has been in the past two weeks.

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