NXT GOLD RUSH HITS & MISSES: Rollins vs. Breakker, Tyler Bate vs. Wes Lee, Triple Threat Tag #1 Contender Match, Brooke vs. Jade, Jackson & Legend vs. Feroz & Leon,

TYLER BATE vs. WES LEE – NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP

Mustafa Ali special guest refereed our opening match of the night where we saw Wes Lee defend his North American championship against Tyler Bate. When Mustafa Ali showed up in NXT, we expected him to challenge for the NA title, perhaps making this match a triple threat. I like what they did instead, they had Mustafa Ali counting fast or slow for both wrestlers when they tried to cover one another, getting under the skin of both Bate and Lee.

The match was just about as good as I expected it to be considering the two competitors, plenty of fast paced action and false finishes galore. Mustafa Ali’s shenanigans made for an unpredictable matchup, not knowing exactly what Ali’s angle was. Ali wound up interjecting himself into the match trying to wake both competitors out from a possible double count out situation, allowing for Lee to nail the Cardiac Kick on Bate to retain.

I think we still wind up seeing a triple threat between these three men with Tyler Bate claiming he never had a fair shot at the title, and Lee wanting to be a fair champion so he grants a rematch.

Verdict: HIT

JOSH BRIGGS & BROOKS JENSEN vs. HANK & TANK vs. MALIK BLADE & EDRIS ENOFE – #1 CONTENDER FOR NXT TAG TITLES

To determine Gallus’ challengers during next week’s Gold Rush Week 2, three of NXT’s tag teams competed for the chance at gold. For me, coming into this match, I felt like this was Enofe and Blade’s time to shine. They have come so far as a tag team compared to their singles runs and their in ring ability has skyrocketed in that time as well. I could have made a case for Brooks & Jensen to win as well based on their established status as a powerhouse team, though that outcome seemed “meh, been there done that.”

I could also make the case for newcomer team Hank & Tank to take the win, as nobody would really expect it. It would be a bit of a surprise outcome, which is the only reason why I gave them any shot of winning this match.

The match itself was okay, as good as a triple threat tag match could be. These matches always take me out of the moment, as we know that triple threats are no DQ. Why would you abide by traditional tag rules when you could just grab a steel chair and dominate the competition?

Enofe & Blade wound up picking up the win, pinning Tank for the opportunity at gold against Gallus. They may have won tonight — but did they really win when the prize is a match against Gallus? To say that these two would be underdogs going into next week would be an understatement.

Verdict: HIT

DANA BROOKE vs. CORA JADE

One of the latest main roster talents to make their way back to NXT, Dana Brooke returned to the black and gold brand to challenge Cora Jade after Jade slapped her in the face last week. The story of the match was that Dana Brooke had not really achieved a whole lot during her career in WWE, and that Jade didn’t feel she was worthy of being respected in the way they were presenting her.

Jade began working on Brooke’s knee, taking away some of Brooke’s flashy offense. The referee wound up needing to call for medical attention as we cut to a commercial break. After the break, we saw Brooke getting on to a stretcher with Cora Jade flapping her gums at her misfortune. Jade wound up attacking Brooke on the stretcher as they were wheeling her into the back, and the match wound up continuing. Kinda like a watered down version of Mick Foley getting off the stretcher and returning to Hell in a Cell against Undertaker back in 98.

Now, why didn’t the officials call this off if she was supposedly so injured that she needed to be stretchered out? Good question. The whole stretcher angle seemed like it was out of left field. That was an angle you pull off during a huge match on a PLE or during a match with high stakes. This match was neither and it felt like the stretcher angle was just… forced.

Jade wound up winning with a single leg crab when the ref called the match off as Brooke refused to tap out. Sure, this tells the story that Brooke is a fighter and won’t give up. But I feel like this could have been pulled off a bit better without watering down a stretcher job.

Verdict: 50/50

LASH LEGEND & JACKARA JACKSON vs. VALENTINA FEROZ & YULISA LEON

The matchup started after Leon and Feroz attacked Legend and Jackson during their entrance, setting the tone for the match after their scuffle last week. Lola Vice and Elektra Lopez made their way ringside to watch this match closely, making it seem like they could interfere at any minute.

The match itself was a lot better than my expectations. All four of these women are still considered undercard talents, so I wasn’t necessarily expecting the level of athleticism they were able to showcase in this short, yet action packed matchup. Legend and Jackson got the win, which made sense considering that Meta Four is a brand new and seemingly heavily pushed stable. Leon and Feroz, while they lost, are still getting TV time. A huge plus, as they are starting to come into their own as a tag team.

Verdict: HIT

BRON BREAKKER vs. SETH “FREAKIN” ROLLINS

Two weeks ago, Bron Breakker called out Raw’s World Heavyweight Champion, Seth Rollins. Rollins answered the call last week, leading to Raw’s main title being defended on the Black and Gold brand. Rollins was attacked during Raw the previous night by Finn Balor, leaving his ribs taped up for this match and giving Bron Breakker a bit of an advantage.

Seeing Seth Rollins back in NXT was somewhat surreal as we haven’t seen him in a Black and Gold ring since the debut of the Shield nearly a decade ago. Seth was the inaugural NXT champion, and it seems fitting for him to come back to NXT to put over new talent with his new title.

The crowd was absolutely electric during this match, excited to see one of the most popular WWE wrestlers in the intimate NXT Arena setting. I don’t know when the last time I heard this crowd so loud for so long, if ever.

Rollins pulled out all the stops, even putting Breakker through the announce table – perhaps to his own demise. As this seemed to hurt his already (kayfabe) injured ribs almost more than it damaged Breakker.

The crowd involvement kicked this match up a notch, as it made this match seem like the most important thing happening in NXT in quite some time. If I rewatched this match on mute, I don’t know if it would have been perceived quite as good.

False finishes galore, we saw Breakker kick out of a pedigree and Rollins kick out of a couple spears. Ultimately, Breakker fell to two curb stomps and the WWE Heavyweight Champion retained his title. After the match, Finn Balor continued his attack from last night on RAW and attacked Rollins and threw him back into the ring. He decimated Rollins with a chair then looked for a Coup de Grace before Melo and Williams made the save as we went off the air.

Verdict: Major HIT