NXT Review: 21/07

Linus O'Howell
2 days ago
5 min read

DarkState VS Saquon Shugars, Noam Dar, and Romeo Moreno

After both Nattie and Thea Hail annoyed Mr. Stone (who was on the phone with someone), this week’s edition of NXT kicked off with 6-Man Tag Team action as Saquon Shugars teamed up with the pairing of Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno to take on DarkState! Saquon has been trying to find somebody to team with him for weeks, with nobody agreeing to until Romeo Moreno came into the picture, as Moreno saw this as the perfect opportunity for him and Dar to earn themselves a step closer to a future NXT Tag Team Title shot! A lot of this match was focused on the fighting between Saquon Shugars and Dion Lennox, with both men being taken out of the contest after crashing through the Podium/Platform area! All this did, however, was open the door for DarkState to deliver their finishing manoeuvre onto Romeo Moreno to score the win, as officials had to separate Shugars and Lennox!

Grade: C+

Kendal Grey and Lola Vice Come Face-to-Face, Hank Walker VS Keanu Carver, Jaida Parker VS Nattie

Everyone in the NXT Women’s Locker Room was in some sort of crisis mode, with the following segment seeing Kendal Grey and Lola Vice coming face-to-face! Kendal said that as much as she would’ve enjoyed running it back with either Kali Armstrong or Kelani Jordan again, she’s happy that she’s going to get to face Lola again! Vice then went on about how she still isn’t done in NXT, and that Grey isn’t able to beat her in a real fight! As a result, Lola Vice challenged Kendal Grey to an NXT Underground Match; a match that Lola has never lost! Grey accepted, with the reigning NXT Women’s Champion delivering a killer line to close the segment! I enjoyed this; I thought both women delivered their lines well, although having Lola lose her NXT Underground undefeated streak would be a strange move!

Grade: B-

After we got Part 1 of the story of Tony D’Angelo and Naraku, Hank Walker was out for revenge when he took on Keanu Carver! This match was fine for what it was; it was probably at a very similar standard to Carver’s match with Tank Ledger a couple of weeks ago, with The Belly Bandits not exactly the best singles wrestlers (in comparison to how good they are as a team)! As expected, Keanu Carver scored the win, although he wouldn’t stand tall post-match as Hank and Tank, alongside EK Prosper, would floor the big man!

Grade: C

Thea Hail rejected Nattie’s offer to come and train in The Hart Dungeon, stating that she hopes Jaida Parker taps her out! We then got a fantastic segment where Shiloh Hill got a brand-new tooth from Danhausen (this was so cleverly thought out), before we headed back to the ring to see if Jaida Parker can finally get the better of Nattie! In fairness, I thought that this was a good match, with Nattie again putting on the best work I’ve ever seen her produce! There were all sorts of crazy manoeuvres happening, including a really impressive Falcon Arrow from Jaida Parker, with Miss Parker eventually locking in the Sharpshooter! At first, Nikkita Lyons looked very tempted to throw in the towel, the same towel that she stole off of Thea Hail backstage! However, when the cameras turned complete focus to Parker and Nattie in the ring, that towel was thrown into the ring, meaning the match was over! In an impressive piece of camerawork following this, it was revealed to us that it was in fact Thea Hail who threw in the towel, but because the referee didn’t see this, it was a legitimate win for Miss Parker! Fair play; this was all really well done!

Grade: B

Shawn Spears VS Niko Vance, Reina Volcan VS Skylar Raye

After a focus video on Naraku, Kelani Jordan wasn’t impressed with Mr. Stone’s approach that the referee’s decision is final, despite the fact that the referee clearly got it wrong! Stone seemed more interested in whoever he was on the phone to again, but he did want to speak to OTM about what Bronco Nima’s plans are for when NXT and AAA are both on on the same day! This was another very logical thing on this week’s NXT; I like it! It was then all about The Culling next as Shawn Spears went one-on-one with his former protégé, Niko Vance! There wasn’t much to write home about in this match, either, with both Niko and Shawn not exactly being known for their strong in-ring ability! Instead, it was more about Izzi Dame on the outside, who continuously got involved until she was taken care of by Lizzy Rain! This distracted the referee, opening the door for Shawn Spears to pull a trick out of Eddie Guerrero’s playbook, forcing the referee to have no choice but to disqualify Vance! I have to say, Lizzy VS Izzi is far more interesting than this!

Grade: C

Myles Borne was really keen on getting him and Tavion Heights a shot at the NXT Tag Team Championships, but the only way that Mr. Stone could allow that would be if Myles puts his NXT North American Championship on the line next week! Borne agreed, and rather miraculously, Kam Hendrix is cleared all of a sudden, despite the fact that he said his recovery had declined literally two minutes before! It’s almost like he’s been lying the whole time! Anyway, Reina Volcan was ready as she made her NXT in-ring debut against Skylar Raye! Skylar Raye is another example of a LFG Winner who simply hasn’t been able to make a successful transition to NXT (at least for now), but that doesn’t really matter here! What matters is that Reina Volcan looks like a bit of a beast; I can see her being NXT Champion by the end of the year! Whilst some people may think that a Torture Rack is a weird choice for a finishing move, I think it works quite well for Volcan; this was a good debut!

Grade: B-

NXT Championship Street Fight: Tony D’Angelo VS Naraku

After Shiloh Hill and Mr. Stone did a good job of advertising KFC, it was Main Event time as Tony D’Angelo and Naraku battled in a Street Fight with the NXT Championship on the line! As far as Street Fights go, this was solid! It won’t stand out as a memorable encounter, but I think both men deserve some praise as there were plenty of weapon spots! Naraku putting Tony through the announce table was pretty cool, whilst starting the match with a mist spot felt unique! In fact, Naraku attempted a second misting of D’Angelo, but Tony D blocked this, using his burnt hands to rake the eyes of Mr. Evil! Ridiculously, Tony D’Angelo would then put Naraku through a table, which was enough for him to score the win. So yes, Naraku lost again, and I have absolutely no idea why! Naraku entered NXT as a star whilst everyone else left, and yet, he’s pretty much lost all of his credibility now! However, to end on a positive note, Mike Santana was revealed as the person who Mr. Stone had been calling, with the former TNA World Champion setting his sights firmly on the NXT Title! I know I said I wanted to end on a positive note, but the fact that no one acknowledged him as “Mike Santana” is a bit worrying!