‘WWE NXT: The Great American Bash – Week One’ Review
Welcome to this week’s review of NXT, right here on Nerdly. This week is the first week in the Great American Bash double-header for the black and gold brand, so let’s get straight into the review and see what went down in this episode…
Match #1: WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship – Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn def. Lash Legend & Jakara Jackson
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn conquered during their return to NXT. The champions wasted no time as they attacked the challengers before the bell, taking out Lash Legend and leaving Jakara Jackson to fend for herself. Ms. Jackson was up to the task and fended off Fyre and Dawn before Legend re-entered the fray, leading to an all-out battle between all four Superstars. The action continued until Dawn hit a meteora on Legend on the outside, leaving Jackson all alone for The Unholy Union to hit a combo twisting DDT to retain their title.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #2: NXT Heritage Cup Championship – Tony D’Angelo def. Tavion Heights
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The NXT Heritage Cup remains with The Family, but it took an incredible battle. Round One ended with D’Angelo locking in an ankle lock and Heights locking in a heel hook with neither Superstar wanting to let go. Round Two also didn’t find a winner as D’Angelo hit a superplex as time expired. The Don capitalized in Round Three by hitting a Fisherman Suplex to earn a pin. After a pep talk from Wren Sinclair, a fired up Heights tore through D’Angelo and hit a huge belly-to-belly suplex to tie the match. After a thrilling final round, The Don hit one final Fisherman Suplex to retain his title, but not before gaining more respect for Heights.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #3: Cedric Alexander def. Brooks Jensen
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Cedric Alexander brought the fight right to the disrespectful Brooks Jensen, but he couldn’t put him away with his high-octane offense. Jensen got in his own offense, but his attempt at a twisting leg drop went awry as Alexander moved, causing Jensen to crash and burn. Alexander capitalized on that mistake by throwing his opponent in the ring and hitting a Lumbar Check to win the match.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #4: Jaida Parker def. Kendal Grey
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The ascension of Jaida Parker continues after she scored another huge victory in NXT, this time over Kendal Grey. The former amateur wrestler Grey looked strong, but she became distracted when Myles Borne came to ringside to argue with her over what happened last week, leading to Grey launching him with another belly-to-belly suplex. Parker took advantage of the chaos and hit her signature hip attack, a Hypnotic, to earn the win.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #5: Jacy Jayne, Fallon Henley, & Jazmyn Nyx def. Sol Ruca, Karmen Petrovic, & Lola Vice
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
NXT officially has a problem in the form of Jacy Jayne, Fallon Henley and Jazmyn Nyx. Sol Ruca, Karmen Petrovic and Lola Vice were a well-oiled machine early, as all three Superstars brought the fight right to their opponents. Nyx regained control for her team, and using her surgical-like kicks, she obliterated Ruca and Vice. All six Superstars landed several strikes, but a Pele Kick from Nyx, Discus Forearm from Jayne, and a huge twisting cutter slam from Henley allowed the new terrible trio of NXT to pick up the victory.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #6: NXT Women’s Championship – Roxanne Perez def. Thea Hail
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Roxanne Perez is still the NXT Women’s Champion, but Thea Hail proved that she belonged in the ring with the champ. Perez mocked the challenger and called her a little girl, but it backfired as a fired-up Hail fought back and took control of the match with her controlled chaos. The champion went for a Pop Rox, but Hail countered expertly into her signature Kimura Lock. Perez countered into a crossface, but Hail refused to tap. The official had his back turned for just a second while fixing the ring apron, allowing and Perez to rake Hail’s eyes, but her devious deed backfired as Hail locked in another Kimura. Perez broke free and assaulted Hail on the outside, throwing her into the steel steps before tossing her back into the ring. The two Superstars went back and forth with submission attempts, but a Pop Rox allowed the champion to retain her title.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 3.5/5
Goddamn if this wasn’t a fantastic episode of NXT… Again. Yes, the little brand that could, that people complained was filled with non-wrestling PC-trained wannabes is, right now, kicking arse! We’re not quite up to the peak of the black and gold era, but that was packed with indie wrestlers – here we got homegrown talent shining. And, for me at least, they’re all providing more interesting and more FUN matches than most of what we’ve seen on the main roster shows in recent weeks. In fact I would much rather watch an episode of NXT than Smackdown right now, that’s for sure!
