‘WWE NXT’ Review (Jul 11th 2023)
Welcome to this week’s review of NXT, right here on Nerdly. Let’s get straight into it and see what went down in this episode…
Match #1: Andre Chase & Duke Hudson def. Drew Gulak & Charlie Dempsey
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Chase U is finally whole again and back to their winning ways as they exacted some payback against former guest professors, Drew Gulak & Charlie Dempsey. All four Superstars battled on the outside before the bell even rang and the action never slowed once it did. Hudson began favoring his wrist and the ruthless Dempsey took advantage by torquing it any chance he could, but when Andre Chase tagged in, it sparked the beginning of the end. Chase brought the fight to both Gulak and Dempsey and an enthusiastic Thea Hail managed to lock in a Kimura Lock on Gulak, allowing Chase and Hudson to defeat Dempsey and pick up the win.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #2: Cora Jade def. Kelani Jordan
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
“NXT’s Resident Mean Girl” Cora Jade continued her in-ring dominance by stopping the upstart Kelani Jordan right in her tracks. Jordan showed out early on using her supreme athleticism, but the cunning Jade had her perfected scouted and kicked out the ropes right when Jordan was attempting to springboard off of them. Jade followed that up by hitting a crushing DDT and pinning Jordan in the middle of the ring.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #3: No. 1 Contender’s Match – Ilja Dragunov def. Bron Breakker
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The Mad Dragon is officially the No. 1 Contender to the NXT Championship after conquering Bron Breakker in a hard-hitting affair. Breakker looked to end it with a huge power slam after a bulldog from off the top rope, but Dragunov countered with a running death valley driver into an incredible coast to coast dropkick that brought the NXT Universe to its feet. Somehow Breakker kicked out of the Torpedo Moscow and later caught Dragunov with a hellacious spear out of midair. The two Superstars continued to batter each other, but it was Dragunov that delivered the final blow as one last running elbow to the back of head allowed him to pin Breakker and punch his ticket to NXT Great American Bash.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #4: Tiffany Stratton def. Ivy Nile
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The NXT Women’s Champion reaffirmed her status as the Superstar to beat as she vanquished Ivy Nile. Still reeling from the loss of The Creed Brothers in NXT, Nile put up an admirable effort as she had the champion questioning herself throughout the matchup, but it was still Stratton’s night. Stratton’s first attempt at a rolling fireman’s carry went awry as Nile countered into a Dragon Sleeper, but Stratton tossed her head first into the turnbuckle which put her in position for the match-ending Prettiest Moonsault Ever.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #5: Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo def. Joe Coffey
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
A defiant Stacks made it loud and clear that he was no snitch and he backed that up by defeating Joe Coffey to free Tony D’Angelo from custody. Coffey was shocked when Stacks reneged on their apparent deal, and even more shocking was a jail cell phone call from D’Angelo himself that revealed that Stacks double-crossed Gallus. Stacks even got Gallus ejected from ringside before hitting Coffey with a running knee stomp to win the match.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #6: Carmelo Hayes & Trick Williams def. Finn Bálor & Damian Priest
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
NXT may be Trick Melo Gang’s show, but The Judgment Day came right in and beat them in their own house. Finn Bálor and Señor Money in the Bank Damian Priest took the fight right to Trick Williams but once Carmelo Hayes tagged in, it became a different story as the NXT Champion earned some momentum and fired up the crowd. Hayes and Bálor battled to a near stalemate, showing that resolve that makes both of them iconic NXT Champions, but outside interference from “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio, Rhea Ripley, and inadvertently the new No. 1 Contender Ilja Dragunov. The chaos allowed Priest to hit South of Heaven followed by a Coup De Grace from Bálor which allowed Judgment Day to reign supreme in NXT.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 3/5
Another great week in NXT, we had some good makes and some almost-great matches – especially the main event, which was essentially NXT versus the main roster. But the fact we have main roster “stars” on this show seemed to make everyone on the NXT roster try and elevate their game and thus we got a great overall show.
