NXT Review: 19/08

Josh Briggs VS Yoshiki Inamura: Philadelphia Street Fight

This week’s special edition of NXT kicked off in style as Josh Briggs and Yoshiki Inamura went to war in a Philadelphia Street Fight! The arena used for last night’s NXT was very unique, and that meant we got some unique spots, particularly when they were fighting on the floor below the stage! This was a really good way to start the show, it was very chaotic, there were a lot of nasty spots when it came to weapons being used, and yeah, it was a good time! Yoshiki’s back looked absolutely horrendous after he got smashed a few times with a kendo stick, but Josh Briggs was the one who was bleeding heavily after Inamura smashed him with a baseball bat (whilst having a trash can on his head)! There were also a couple of table spots, including the finish, as Briggs nailed Inamura with a Moonsault through a table to get the win! Both guys deserve a rest after this fight!

Credit: WWE on YouTube

Grade: B

Jasper Troy VS Ricky Saints, Blake Monroe Interrupts Jordynne Grace

Ava accepted Masha Slamovich’s request to be the Special Guest Referee for the 6-Woman Tag Team match between Fatal Influence and The Elegance Brand before Trick Williams said he has his sights set firmly on becoming a 3-time NXT Champion! Ricky Saints then bumped into Josh Briggs on his way down to the ring as Mr. Revolution was set to go one-on-one with Jasper Troy! This was okay, I’m finding it very hard to enjoy Jasper Troy if I’m being honest, he just doesn’t click for me! In time, Jasper could be good, but right now he’s just not as imposing as NXT make him out to be! However, having said that, NXT also books their “Monster” to lose plenty of times, with Saints scoring the win here with a Tornado DDT! I think this is another reason why I’m not enjoying Troy’s work, all he does is lose whilst he acts like he’s a machine!

Grade: C

Hank and Tank were talking with Ava backstage before The Personal Concierge was very upset over Masha Slamovich being appointed as the Special Guest Referee! Jordynne Grace was then out next to cut a promo about how she let her guard down, that she tried to believe that she could have a friendship with Blake Monroe, but that ultimately left her looking and feeling stupid! This brought out Blake who had a contract written up that if Grace puts her hands on her, their match at NXT Heatwave is off! Because of this, Jordynne beat up a bunch of Monroe’s security guards before she warned Miss Monroe that she’d show her “what ugly truly looks like” this Sunday! Firstly, Jordynne Grace isn’t a great promo; she’s far better in the ring! Secondly, I’m not exactly sure that Blake Monroe is connecting with the crowd! I honestly felt like something was missing here; it wasn’t a very good go-home angle!

Grade: C

Fatal Influence VS The Elegance Brand, The American-Canadian Peace Treaty

Lainey Reid once again wished Jacy Jayne good luck backstage before ZaRuca came over, giving us a look at 4 different Championships! Je’Von Evans then cut a backstage promo before it was time for Fatal Influence to clash with The Elegance Brand (of TNA)! I’d say this was decent overall, I like Fatal Influence, The Elegance Brand work as a trio, there’s obviously better wrestlers out there, but I didn’t mind this! It’s also two Heel teams which I actually quite like, and I thought Masha Slamovich did alright as the Special Guest Referee! However, having said that, Masha got too distracted by what was going on on the outside as she completely missed Ash by Elegance’s pin on Jazmyn Nyx! This angered Ash, opening the door for Jacy Jayne to tag herself in and hit the Rolling Encore to score a victory heading into Heatwave! I thought this was an interesting ending, the fact that Jacy pinned Ash has definitely made me think!

Credit: WWE

Grade: C+

Charlie Dempsey was trying to give Kendal Grey some tips backstage before The Culling walked over as Shawn Spears wasn’t impressed by the No Quarter Catch Crew’s lack of numbers! Ethan Page and Chelsea Green then came out with combined entrance themes as they represented Canada in their Peace Treaty with the United States of America! I have loved everything that Ethan Page has done during his run as the Greatest North American to ever hold the North American Championship and having him alongside Chelsea Green only makes it better! However, this segment didn’t work, and it’s not their fault! Tavion Heights and Tyra Mae Steele kept talking about how they’re real Olympians and they can drop anyone they like, but honestly, they’re so dull, especially on the mic! This show was in Philadelphia so of course they cheered for America, but they weren’t cheering for Heights and Steele, they were more into Page and Green! Eventually, Ava came out to book a Mixed-Tag for this Sunday, and the segment eventually ended with Tavion and Tyra locking in ankle locks! There are definitely better people who could’ve been used to represent America!

Grade: C-

NXT Championship Number 1 Contender’s Match: Trick Williams VS Je’Von Evans

Credit: WWE

After Lexis King misted Myles Borne, Lash Legend called her shot at the NXT Women’s Championship, and Joe Hendry appeared in front of DarkState, it was Main Event time as Trick Williams faced Je’Von Evans in a Number 1 Contender’s Match for the NXT Championship! The winner of this match would earn themselves onto NXT Heatwave where they would face Oba Femi for the NXT Title, and honestly, it feels a bit too soon! Like, I either would’ve done a Triple Threat again (like Stand and Deliver), or I would’ve had this match one or two weeks ago! As for the match itself, it was good, there were some good moments, and the one bump that Je’Von took to go crashing through the announce table was absolutely insane! This allowed Trick to dominate this match for the large majority, but Williams was far too focused on trying to send a message to Oba Femi! In fact, this ultimately cost him as he looked up at Femi’s sky box, only to see Mike Santana, and this opened the door for The Young O.G. to hit his finisher to get the win! I have no idea what NXT are going to do this Sunday, I’m really not sure!

Grade: B-