‘WWE NXT’ Review (Jun 27th 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 – Tiffany Stratton def. Thea Hail
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Tiffy Time will continue as Tiffany Stratton successfully defended the NXT Women’s Championship in first-ever defense of the title as she downed the upstart Thea Hail. Hail gave it her all and despite the showboating from Stratton, she was able to hit her signature offense and even lock in the Kimura Lock. Unfortunately for her, Drew Gulak and Charlie Dempsey began arguing with the referee and the distraction forced the referee to miss the champion tapping out. Stratton capitalized on the mistake and managed to roll up Hail and walk away as the champion.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #2: NXT Tag Team Championship – Gallus def. Malik Blade & Edris Enofé
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Despite fearing for the well-being of Joe Coffey, Wolfgang & Mark Coffey took out Malik Blade & Edris Enofé to retain the NXT Tag Team Titles with help from none other than Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo. It was a true clash of styles as the bruising Gallus looked to contain the high-flying athleticism of Blade & Enofé, but the champions found it difficult to ground the challengers. With Los Lotharios looking on, Stacks appeared and delivered a devastating elbow to Enofé and tossed him back into the ring, allowing Gallus to pin him and remain NXT Tag Team Champs.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #3: NXT Heritage Cup Championship – Nathan Frazer def. Dragon Lee
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The NXT Heritage Cup will remain with Nathan Frazer after an incredible matchup against Dragon Lee. The first round came and went as neither Superstar picked up a fall, but Frazer struck first in the second round with an incredible reversal after a hurricanrana from off the top rope by Lee. Much like round one, round three came and went without a fall, much to the frustration of the champion. Dragon Lee tied it in the fourth round with a roll-up powerbomb combo to set up a dramatic fifth round. The two Superstars proceeded to trade shots until the waning seconds with dueling roll-ups, but it was Frazer that pulled off the final move as he pinned Lee’s shoulders to the mat just in time to beat the buzzer.
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #4: Gigi Dolin def. Kiana James
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Gigi Dolin picked up a major victory over Kiana James, but it came at a significant cost. Dolin’s chaotic offense clashed with the precision strikes of James, and it seemed like the savvy businesswoman was always one step ahead. With the referee distracted, James went to hit Dolin with her handbag, but Dolin countered it, hit a crucifix bomb, and picked up the win.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #5: NXT Championship – Carmelo Hayes def. Baron Corbin
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The reign of Carmelo Hayes continues as he successfully defended the NXT Championship against Baron Corbin. The brutality of Corbin was on full-display as he looked to not only win the NXT Title, but also prove a point that current NXT Superstars are more entitled than the ones back in his day. The NXT Universe was firmly behind Hayes, but that didn’t stop Corbin from laying a beatdown. Hayes mounted a comeback, hitting a picture-perfect fadeaway leg drop in the process, but Corbin was too powerful and managed to powerbomb the champion onto the announce table. Corbin ended up nailing a Deep Six, but Hayes somehow kicked out to send the NXT faithful into a frenzy. After an attempted chokeslam, Hayes countered into a spectacular DDT which set Corbin up for Nothing But Net which sent the champion home with the title.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 3.5/5
To repeat what I said about last week’s show – the first half of these “Gold Rush” specials – this was a really good episode of NXT, really good. This episode started strong and kept up the momentum throughout. The Heritage Cup match out the main roster to shame even! And it’s hard to imagine, in 2023, we get such a barnstormer of a match from Baron Corbin. Mixing it up in NXT has really upped his game. Truly. Plus he’s been matched with the real MVP of NXT, Carmelo Hayes, which helps!
