‘WWE NXT’ Review (Sept 19th 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: NXT Global Heritage Invitational – Butch def. Tyler Bate
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Group A belongs to Butch as the Brawling Brute overcomes his rival, Tyler Bate, to advance to the NXT Global Heritage Invitational Finals. The bout devolved into a slugfest with both competitors giving it all they had which included Butch hitting a Tyler Driver 97 and Bate hitting a Bitter End, but neither Superstar could put the other away. With just over 10 seconds remaining in the match, Butch countered Bate and hit the Better End to win Group A and secure his place in next week’s finals.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #2: NXT Global Heritage Invitational – Duke Hudson def. Joe Coffey
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Duke Hudson’s win over Joe Coffey forces a three-way tie for first place in Group B by defeating Gallus’ Joe Coffey. Both Superstars mauled each other with the Chase U student section firmly behind their MVP, but the gruff Coffey matched the intensity and spirit of Hudson. Coffey went for Best For The Bells but Hudson countered into a roll-up and pinned the Gallus boy, sending Group B into a three-way tie for first place.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #3: Roxanne Perez def. Lola Vice
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The Prodigy picked up a victory over up-and-coming Superstar Lola Vice, but it came at an agonizing cost. Using her supreme MMA skills, Vice kept the former NXT Women’s Champion off-balance and in a heap of trouble throughout the match. After attacking Perez’s arm and locking in an armbar, Vice got caught in a pinning predicament which allowed The Prodigy to sneak out a victory.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #4: Carmelo Hayes vs. “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio (No Contest)
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The Champion vs. Champion Match between NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes and NXT North American Champion “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio ended in a no contest as chaos ensued with their future opponents. With just their egos on the line, both Hayes and Mysterio treated the match as if their titles were on the line, and after a flurry of incredible offense, Hayes accidentally sent Dirty Dom into Ilja Dragunov who was ringside, and Mysterio responded by doing the same thing. The Mad Dragon proceeded to lose a gasket and attacked both Superstars, including hitting a Torpedo Moscow on his No Mercy opponent.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #5: NXT Global Heritage Invitational Triple Threat Match – Joe Coffey def. Nathan Frazer & Duke Hudson
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
An impromptu Triple Threat Match was needed to decide the winner of Group B of the NXT Global Heritage Invitational, and the match went the way of Scottish Superstar, Joe Coffey. The desperation was palpable as all three Superstars looked to win the group, and their clash of styles led to an incredible bout with Frazer’s speed working opposite to the brutish Coffey and powerful Hudson. Frazer managed to plant Hudson on his head and hit his Phoenix Splash, but Coffey tossed the former Heritage Cup Champion out of the ring, hit Best For The Bells, and shocked the NXT Universe by winning the match.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #6: Becky Lynch & Lyra Valkyria def. Kiana James & Tiffany Stratton
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
NXT Women’s Champion Becky Lynch was willing to take on the challenge of both Tiffany Stratton and Kiana James and not only walked away with the win, but also laid down the challenge for NXT No Mercy. Before the match began, Stratton and James jumped the champion, prompting fellow Irish Superstar Lyra Valkyria to come to the aide of The Man and become her tag team partner. With Stratton neutralized, Lynch planted James with a Man-Handle Slam and tagged in Valkyria who hit a soaring splash to give their team the victory. After the match, Stratton continued the assault as she laid both Lynch and Valkyria out with a steel chair, prompting the champion to declare that their match at No Mercy would be an Extreme Rules Match.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Final Verdict: 3.5/5
Another good week for NXT and one that put this week’s Raw to shame! Once again the Global Heritage matches made this show, though kudos to the women involved in the main event tag match – they certainly put on one hell of a match and set up NXT No Mercy beautifully as NXT ended. Again, hard to believe that, when NXT was “rebranded” and a whole crop of new talent was put on the show, that THAT version of NXT (even if it has been watered down somewhat from the paint splat era) and that crop of new superstars could – consistently – out do main roster talents. We knew it could happen because it happened before with “Black and Gold” NXT, but now seems more shocking given the more ‘green’ status of a lot of talent involved. They’re doing something right in NXT/the PC that’s for sure!
