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WES LEE vs. DIJAK
It’s crazy to see Wes Lee’s rise after Nash Carter’s release. From a lost former tag competitor to NXT North American Champion in under a year, it’s been a fun journey to watch. That said, Dijak may be his toughest opponent to date. Dijak has been on the hunt for the North American title before, challenging Keith Lee pre-pandemic, and was unable to capture it. He was bound and determined to walk away with that title after all these years.
The size difference came into play immediately with Dijak swatting Lee away like a mosquito. Lee would use his wit to outsmart Dijak to secure just about all of the offense he was able to get in. Of course, Dijak would find an opportunity and use his muscle to get the advantage in response.
This was the first NXT match in front of a non-Florida crowd since NXT Portland in 2020, and I’d say it definitely delivered. The crowd was solidly engaged throughout, clearly in Lee’s corner. The final few minutes were incredible. Dijak kept trying to hit Feast Your Eyes and High Justice over and over again, but Lee kept reversing each time. When he didn’t reverse, Lee would kick out at the last second. The heart of Lee cannot be measured. When it looked like Lee had the match finally won, Dijak kicked out of the pin at 2.9 seconds. They kept us on our toes for about 5 minutes with false finishes. Sometimes I’m critical of false finishes, but this was booked so well that I actually praise it.
The only weird part of the match was the actual finish. Tony D’Angelo and Stacks appeared at ringside as Dijak was about to hit a moonsault on Lee from the top rope to the outside. D’Angelo and Stacks pushed Lee out of the way and took the blow themselves for some reason. This allowed Lee to capitalize and pick up the win. Unless they didn’t want to see Dijak take the title, thinking he’d be too hard to beat, I can’t figure out why they took the hit for Wes Lee.
Verdict: HIT
KATANA CHANCE & KAYDEN CARTER vs. FALLON HENLEY & KIANA JAMES – NXT Women’s Tag Championships
Will Fallon Henley and Kiana James be able to stay on the same page to win the titles? That was the big question going into the match tonight. Henley and James have been rivals for months, thrown together as a team since they’re both dating Brooks & Jensen.
Katana Chance and Kayden Carter are officially the longest reigning female tag champions of all time, NXT and both main rosters included. They’ve had a strong reign, even though they weren’t always on TV. The crowd loves them and they’re always pretty consistent in the ring – a far cry from how green they both were just three years ago. Will they retain and continue their dominant reign? That was tonight’s second question for this angle.
The match itself was a solid tag team contest, nothing overly special outside of a few high spots. But entertaining nonetheless. Some cheating to win saw Kiana James & Fallon Henley dethrone the champs.
Verdict: HIT
CARMELO HAYES vs APOLLO CREWS – 2/3 Falls
Crews and Hayes have been at each others throats for months now. Whether it’s been in contention for the North American title or the NXT Title, they’ve been thorns in each other’s sides for quite some time. Who’s the best? A 2/3 Falls match is certainly a good way to find out.
Trick Williams was the wild card in the match, getting involved on the outside pretty much from the get go. He and Carmelo played a bit dirty during the match, at times on the brink of disqualification and giving up a fall.
Melo picked up the first win with one of my favorite submission moves of all time, forever tainted by the actions of the man who made it famous – the Crossface. Melo then picked up the 2nd fall just when it looked like Crews was about to get a fall, Williams went to hit him with a chair. Dabba Kato emerged from the crowd and made the save. But that distraction lead to Crews capitalizing and sweeping the match.
After the match, Kato got into the ring and embraced Crews before turning on him with a massive headbutt. He then powerbombed Crews onto a chair, and left the former IC Champ laying in the ring.
Verdict: HIT
NEW DAY vs. GALLUS vs. CHASE U vs. PRETTY DEADLY – NXT Tag Team Championships
Talk about talent in this 8-man match-up. Chase U won match this past Tuesday, allowing them to enter this match. Andre Chase is a fantastic and underrated technical wrestler and Hudson has come into his own over the past year or so with his charisma and powerhouse ring style. Gallus, the brutes from Scotland, dominated NXT UK and have been billed as a force to be reckoned with here in NXT US. Pretty Deadly also tore it up in NXT UK and won the NXT Tag Titles during their debut on NXT here in the states. Their charisma and smooth ring style make them a team ready made for the main roster. Then there’s the New Day — future WWE Hall of Famers. A star studded matchup indeed.
A fatal four way matchup was a great booking decision to get the titles off of The New Day without making them look weak before returning to the main roster. While I’d love to selfishly see them stay in NXT, they are so much more valuable on the main roster. Gallus was the predictable call, we’ve been talking about them dethroning New Day since they’ve returned to NXT over on the PWT Talks NXT Dailycast.
I think that most will either love this match or hate it. If you like chaotic matches with multiple people doing high spots repeatedly, you’ll like this. If you’re more like me and you find these matches hard to follow, then you probably won’t. While this match did have plenty of moments where two or three people got a chance to shine, there were plenty more where everyone gets involved making it hard to know who the legal men were.
Verdict: HIT
ROXANNE PEREZ vs. GIGI DOLAN vs. JACY JAYNE – NXT Women’s Championship
Will Gigi Dolan and Jacy Jayne be able to stick together during this triple threat, or will we see their egos get the better of them causing their own demise? That’s been the big question for a couple weeks, as we have seen foreshadowing for some potential hiccups for Toxic Attraction.
Roxanne’s win was so serendipitous that it felt nowhere near time to take the title off of her just yet. However neither Dolan or Jayne felt like champion material. Toxic Attraction’s biggest attraction was Mandy Rose. Without her, the duo feels less than. They took a back seat to Rose for a year plus, now they’re thrust into the main event on their own. I never felt like they told a story that elevated Dolan and Jayne to make them feel like main event stars in the eyes of the audience.
As expected, Dolan and Jayne began to have some communication breakdown and they started to become suspicious of one another. Dolan pulled Jayne in the way of a suicide dive by Perez, then Jayne broke up a pinfall by Dolan. The two then started wrestling one another with absolutely no chemistry whatsoever. They bumbled through their spots before Perez made it back into the ring and brought the match back on track.
Dolan and Jayne eventually mended the sisterhood, as Booker T put it, and tried to put Perez through a table. But Perez countered and wound up putting Dolan through it instead. She then hit a Pop Rocks from the top on Jayne for the win.
This match was predictable from start to finish, however well executed. They told their stories well and Perez walks away with a major title defense under her belt.
Verdict: HIT
BRON BREAKKER vs. GREYSON WALLER – Steel Cage for NXT Championship
Greyson Waller has been playing mind games with Bron Breakker for weeks, and it’s time for Breakker to finally get his hands on Waller inside of a cage. Earlier in the night it was noted that they could only win by pinfall or submission. Escaping the cage will not give you the win.
As I kind of expected, the action started before both men even made it to the cage. But it didn’t take long before Breakker was able to throw Waller inside and lock the door.
Bron Breakker’s 2nd reign as champion has been relatively lackluster. His character would have flourished in the 80s and early 90s alongside his uncle and father. But in 2023, it feels too cartoony. Without that added depth, it’s been hard to get behind him as champion. At least for me, anyway. I’ve been wanting to see his reign come to an end for what seems like an eternity.
I (kayfabe) hate Greyson Waller. And I love that I hate Greyson Waller. He plays his character so well that I feel like he’s one of the few true heels in the company. He’s annoying, but he can put his money where his mouth is. He’ll make an amazing heel champion.
Someday.
Hogan must pose, right? Some things will never change. Breakker picked up the win after a massive superplex off the top of the cage followed by a spear. Carmelo Hayes made his way out during the celebration, signaling perhaps the next challenger for Breakker? Will we see Melo dethrone Breakker at Stand and Deliver? Man, I hope so.
Verdict: 50/50
The quality of matches from the old Takeover days to now is mind blowing. Bron Breakkker is Borrring.
Wes Lee needs to learn how to sell. You don’t eat a devastating kick or move and and kick out at 2 and 3/4ths and then immediately be fine after you kick out.