‘WWE NXT’ Review (May 23rd 2023)
Welcome to this week’s review of NXT, right here on Nerdly. Let’s get straight into it and see what happened this week…
Match #1: NXT Women’s Championship Tournament – Lyra Valkyria def. Cora Jade
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The Generation of Jade will have to wait as Lyra Valkyria punched her ticket to the Finals of the NXT Women’s Championship Tournament at NXT Battleground. Jade seemingly had Valkyria right where she wanted her, but the Irish Superstar countered at the last second and hit a crushing roundhouse kick to stun her opponent and send her to NXT Battleground.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #2: Dabba-Kato def. Axiom
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Axiom prides himself on being a superhero but he seems to have found his kryptonite as the massive Dabba-Kato absolutely destroyed him in singles competition. Dabba-Kato barely broke a sweat as he absorbed all of Axiom’s shots before hitting a devastating sit-out powerbomb to pick up the win.
My Score: 1 out of 5
Match #3: Tyler Bate def. Eddy Thorpe
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
“The Big Strong Boi” Tyler Bate topped Eddy Thorpe and ended the Alpha Wolf’s undefeated streak to begin his NXT career. Thorpe was more than up for the challenge of Bate, but the Tyler Driver 99 proved to be too much and gave Bate some momentum heading into NXT Battleground.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #4: Nathan Frazer def. Noam Dar
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
In what can be considered a stunner, Nathan Frazer downed Noam Dar just days before Dar defends the NXT Heritage Cup at Battleground against Dragon Lee. As the two Superstars put on a clinic inside the ring, Lee appeared at ringside and distracted Dar. It worked to perfection as Frazer hit a diving splash to the outside and subsequently hit a Phoenix Splash to defeat the Heritage Cup champ.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #5: Hank Walker def. Tank Ledger
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Hank Walker defeated his good friend and tag team partner Tank Ledger in what amounted to a friendly match to build on their friendship.
My Score: 1 out of 5
Match #6: Luca Crusifino def. Von Wagner (DQ)
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Luca Crusifino’s NXT debut didn’t go as he planned as Von Wagner lost his temper and got disqualified before slamming Crusifino onto the announce table.
My Score: 1 out of 5
Match #7: NXT Women’s Championship Tournament – Tiffany Stratton def. Roxanne Perez
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The Finals of the NXT Women’s Championship Tournament are set after Tiffany Stratton defeated Roxanne Perez to advance to NXT Battleground. Perez and Stratton battled it out with Stratton showing a ruthlessness previously unseen, leaving Perez down in a heap of pain. Stratton’s Prettiest Moonsault Ever got countered and allowed Perez back into the match, but her attempt at a Pop Rox was countered into the PME and sent Stratton to the NXT Women’s Title match at Battleground.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Final Verdict: 2/5
Let’s be honest, this was one of the worst episodes of NXT in a long time. Two three star matches and a bunch of average/squash matches fo NOT a good show make. And for a go-home show for Battleground this was even worse! As the week’s go on it really does seem like NXT are scrambling to fill the hole(s) left by the recent WWE Draft call-ups. This could’ve been a better show if the squash matches were dropped and the rest of the matches were given more time to tell a better story. Overall this certainly didn’t get me excited for the pay-per-view.
