‘WWE NXT 2.0’ Review (Aug 2nd 2022)
Welcome to this week’s review of NXT 2.0, As I’ve said regarding Raw and Smackdown, we’re not going to see big changes to WWE’s developmental show yet; but the most interesting brand that COULD see big changes is NXT… Anyway, let’s get into the review!
Match #1: NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship – Katana Chance & Kayden Carter def. Toxic Attraction; Ivy Nile & Tatum Paxley; and Yulisa Leon & Valentina Feroz
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The battle to claim the vacant NXT Women’s Tag Team Titles was fiercely contested between the four tag teams looking to cement their spot at the top of the women’s tag team division. All four teams jockeyed for position in a wild and fast-paced opening few minutes that saw both Yulisa Leon & Valentina Feroz wipe out the rest of the competition with a pair of dives to arena floor. The international duo utilized their high-flying skills to maintain control until Ivy Nile stepped in to deliver a monstrous right hand to record the first pinfall and eliminate Leon & Feroz. Nile & Paxley continued to dominate with their strength as Toxic Attraction talked trash to the rest of the competitors. Nile & Paxley worked together like a well-oiled machine to nearly pick up a second elimination, but the duo could not compete with Katana Chance & Kayden Carter’s high-flying acrobatic style. Chance & Carter dropped Paxley with a pair of knees and a sit-down slam, but Jacy Jayne tagged herself in to pick up the scraps and earn the pinfall on Paxley. Down to just Toxic Attraction and Chance & Carter, the two familiar rivals threw everything they had at one another. A confident Toxic Attraction isolated Carter, but she managed to roll through a pin and clock Gigi Dolin with a Superkick. After Chance tagged herself into the match, Toxic Attraction decked Carter with a right hand on the apron before upending Chance with tandem high-low kicks. As Jayne went for the pin, Carter jumped back into action to deliver a massive kick to the head and break up the pin. After Chance & Jayne traded hands, Dolin jumped in to prevent the 450 Splash, but was wiped out by a crossbody. Jayne tried to fight off the duo on her own, but she was tagged by a huge kick from Chance before she & Carter flattened Jayne with their tandem neckbreaker, 450 Splash maneuver to secure the 1-2-3 and become the new NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #2: NXT North American Championship – Carmelo Hayes def. Nathan Frazer
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Reveling in his recent success, Carmelo Hayes offered a North American Title Match to the first person who stepped into the ring with him. Newcomer Giovanni Vinci strolled out to the ring to accept the open challenge, but as he took his time to take pictures in the entrance ramp, Nathan Frazer raced past him and slid in the ring first to steal Vinci’s opportunity. Vinci resigned himself to the announcer’s table to watch Frazer and Hayes clash in a spirited competition. Frazer got off to a quick start by countering Hayes, but “The A Champ” rallied to drop Frazer with a fade away to the back of the head. The two Superstars traded blows as Frazer tossed Hayes face-first into the turnbuckle before leveling Hayes with back-to-back Superkicks for a stunning nearfall. After knocking Hayes to the outside, Frazer took the champion off his feet with a dive through the ropes sending Hayes flying over the commentary table and knocking a cup of water all over Vinci. Upset at the slight, Vinci pushed Frazer off the top rope and sent him tumbling to the mat opening the door for Hayes to hit a top-rope leg drop and record the victory.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #3: Mandy Rose def. Sarray
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Never forgetting what Sarray did to her face after returning to NXT, Mandy Rose took out her long-held frustrations on “The Warrior of the Sun” with a quick takedown, but Sarray battled back upending Rose with a flying crossbody. Sarray lined up for a Sunray Dropkick, but Rose realizing what happened last time quickly moved out of the way and hung Sarray across the ropes. A frustrated Rose battered Sarray with a sit-down facebuster before bouncing her head off the mat. “The Warrior of the Sun” rallied with a missile dropkick and a suplex, but as she went for a corner splash Rose caught her for a spinebuster before leveling Sarray with a running knee to earn the victory.
My Score: 1.5 out of 5
Match #4: Axiom def. Duke Hudson
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
An all-out brawl turned into a heated singles match after Duke Hudson told Axiom he doesn’t belong in NXT and slapped him in the face. The newcomer took the fight right to Hudson as the two brawled throughout the NXT Arena until Hudson leveled Axiom with a spinning side slam inside the ring. Hudson turned to leave, happy with the damage he’d done, but Axiom refused to stay down wanting a match right then and there. When the bell finally rang Hudson drove Axiom into the turnbuckle, delivering a big boot to send Axiom tumbling to the arena floor. Axiom tried to cut the legs out from under Hudson, but it wasn’t enough to take the much larger Superstar off his feet as he repeatedly stomped Axiom. Hudson went for a Razor’s Edge, but Axiom countered with a huricanrana before locking Hudson up in an intricate pinfall, holding him at bay for the three-count and the victory.
My Score: 1 out of 5
Match #5: NXT Tag Team Championship – The Creed Brothers def. Tony D’Angelo & “Stacks”
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The Creed Brothers may have been on the losing side of their Six-Man Tag Team match against the D’Angelo Family, but they would not hand their NXT Tag Team Titles to Tony D’Angelo & Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo so easily. The brothers effortlessly tossed “The Don” and his right-hand man across the ring until D’Angelo kicked Julius Creed’s legs out from under him and dropped him with a modified suplex. “The Family” attempted to keep Julius contained, but he escaped to tag in Brutus who tackled “Stacks” clear out of the ring. “Stacks” pulled one over on Brutus, slamming his hand onto the steel steps as he and “The Don” continued to manipulate Brutus’ left hand. Brutus weathered the storm to tag in Julius who proceeded to suplex anything that moved. As Brutus smashed “Stacks” in the ring, drawing the attention of the referee, Elektra Lopez slid D’Angelo a crowbar. “The Don” went to use the weapon, but turned around to find Santos Escobar holding the other end. Escobar pulled D’Angelo closer and leveled him with a pair of brass knuckles sending D’Angelo reeling into Julius’s arms for a rolling slam and a clothesline to record the pinfall victory and retain the NXT Tag Team Titles.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #6: Joe Gacy def. Brooks Jensen
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Following The Schism’s strange attempt to recruit Brooks Jensen, Josh Briggs, and Fallon Henley, Jensen took it upon himself to teach Joe Gacy a lesson one-on-one. Jensen showed Gacy the definition of “country strong” with a series of powerful right hands, but Gacy fired up to plant Jensen with a DDT and a uranage. After enduring a flurry of punishment, Jensen caught Gacy with a spinning back heel kick. As both competitors were laid out flat on the mat, The Dyad slowly stalked Henley at ringside. Briggs intervened to protect Henley, taking his eyes off Jensen as Pretty Deadly rushed in to take him out. Jensen quickly dealt with Kit Wilson & Elton Prince’s interference, but in the commotion turned around into a massive springboard clothesline to give Gacy the win.
My Score: 1 out of 5
Match #7: Alba Fyre def. Lash Legend
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The heated rivalry between Alba Fyre and Lash Legend exploded in the ring as Legend took Fyre off her feet with a big boot. Legend kept the pressure on Fyre with a knee to the face and a backbody drop. Fyre created some space and climbed to the top rope, but Legend hopped up to catch her with a right hand. Legend looked for a top-rope backbody drop, but Fyre countered with a knee to send Legend flying. Legend rolled out of the way of an attempted swanton and grabbed Fyre’s baseball bat, but Fyre dodged the swing and tagged Legend with a pair of Superkicks and a Gory Bomb before flattening Legend with a swanton to pick up the victory.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #8: Falls Count Anywhere Match – Solo Sikoa def. Von Wagner
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The animosity between Solo Sikoa and Von Wagner reached new heights as the bruisers attempted to tear each other apart. Action instantly spilled outside the ring as Sikoa caught Wagner with a standing senton on the arena floor. The Street Champion decimated Wagner with a powerslam and a splash in the corner in quick succesion, but Wagner wisely rolled to the outside and drove Sikoa into the ring apron before tossing him into the steel steps. Wagner was the first to take advantage of the no disqualification rule, repeatedly smashing Sikoa with a steel chair before dropping him onto numerous chairs with a sidewalk slam and a powerslam. As Wagner looked to put Sikoa through the announce table, Sikoa reversed it with a Samoan Drop. The two Superstars battled their way backstage before they found themselves in the NXT parking lot where Sikoa took a quick break from his fight to push Carmelo Hayes into a convertible. Wagner dumped Sikoa into a nearby dumpster to the delight of Mr. Stone, but Sikoa popped back out to smash Wagner against a garage door and ram him with a series of knees. The fierce rivals traded hands backstage as Sikoa blasted Wagner with a fire extinguisher and Wagner slammed Sikoa through a table. When the battle finally got back into the ring, Sikoa flattened Wagner onto the steel steps with a uranage for a nearfall. The Street Champion climbed to the top rope for a splash, but Mr. Stone grabbed his legs giving Wagner enough time to pull Sikoa off the top turnbuckle. Wagner looked to stay on top of Sikoa, but the Samoan Superstar caught Wagner with back-to-back Superkicks to lay Wagner out across the announce table. Sikoa then climbed up for a jaw-dropping top-rope splash through the announce table, barely covering Wagner for the 1-2-3.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 3.5/5
Well that was one hell of an improvement over some of the more recent episodes of NXT. Seems that new hands on the wrestling rudder have already made something of a difference. There were a couple of matches that felt out of place on the improved card but that can be forgiven with how good matches like the main event were.