NXT HITS & MISSES (1/16): The LWO vs. Chase U, Trick & Carmelo vs. Enofe & Blade, plus Dijak, Bron Breaker, Baron Corbin, Ridge Holand, more

SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...

Hey, guess what? Booker T once again was his annoying self on Trick Williams’ entrance music! Surprise! But, shout out to Vic Joseph on mocking the moronic actions of his broadcast partner (see…it doesn’t count if I mock Booker in my opening statement!) On with the show!

Trick Williams & Carmelo Hayes vs. Edris Enofe & Malik Blade: Hit

A few rough spots, but otherwise a well-worked match. I hope 2024 brings Enofe & Blade success: they are an awesome tag team and have a great move set, but always seem to end up on the losing end of things. I love the homage to the late Dusty Rhodes with their attire!

Oba Femi Promo: Minor Hit

I felt Obi’s first promo as North American Champion was pretty well-delivered. I took a few points away from the fact that his character hasn’t fully been defined yet. He has amazing crowd support, but he also screams massive heel. His doing away with the open challenge and casual dismissal of Dragon Lee came off as heelish, but unless he starts to turn on the Performance Center crowd, he’s going to get more cheers than boos. NXT (hell, even the WWE in general) needs more bad ass, monster heels.

Lyra Valkyria & Tatum Paxley vs. Lola Vice & Elektra Lopez: Hit

Truth be told: a lof of this hit goes to the Tatum Paxley character. I remember her floundering in Diamond Mine, but this new stalker-ish character she really seems to have sunk her teeth into, including the matching outfit and mimicry of Lyra’s actions were wonderful. Vice and Elektra have shown marked improvement in the ring, but I think this match was more of a storyline development of Valkyria and Paxley.

Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker interview: Hit

I shouldn’t have liked this, but I did. I railed about the pairing of Bron and Baron a week or so ago, but for some stupid reason, this worked for me. Yes, I’d rather see a Bad Ass Bron, but idiotic Bron made me laugh and Baron playing straight man was wonderful. It was dumb and totally out of character for two people supposedly heels, but I laughed and I am a little ashamed I did! Go Wolfdogs!

Chase University vs. The LWO: Hit

PLEASE continue to push Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro! These guys have transitioned from Santos Escobar’s cronies, to punching bags for Rey Mysterio to showing just how freaking talented they are. Duke Hudson and Riley Osbourne carried their own, but Wilde and Del Toro have been on another level lately and deserve the push.

Dijak vs. Trey Bearhill: Hit

Nice showing by Bearhill. He has the possibility of being another good big man in NXT. Dijak always comes through and he helped Bearhill look pretty good. Another “I shouldn’t have liked it that much” moment, came from Joe Gacy on commentating, rocking the ‘old-school’ WWE blazer. His comments were asinine and yet so indicative of the era he was mocking. I think a Dijak/Gacy feud could have pretty good legs.

Women’s Number One Contender Battle Royal & Fatal Four Way: Hit

Wow, I really enjoyed the Battle Royal. My only gripe is that I didn’t know some of the contenders based on their lack of entrances (and I watch this program every week…mostly sober. Addendum: one was Stevie Turned (I think), when I went back and re-watched the match). There seemed to be more story-telling here than in most Battle Royals, which start as a bunch of quick, pointless eliminations. The Fatal Four Way featured 3 of the 4 ‘pillars’ of the NXT Women’s Division with James, Henley and Perez. Overall, they gave the ladies a lot of time and I don’t think they disappointed!

Ridge Holland vs. Joe Coffee: Miss

Why the constant burying of Joe Coffee and Gallus in general, I’ll never understand. I know they’re not well received reaction-wise by the audience, but a lot of that falls on the lack of presentation by NXT. Yes, Joe and Gallus got some heat from the post-match beatdown, but I have a feeling they will be eventually be fed to Ridge and some make shift team in the future. I suppose to anyone who didn’t watch NXT UK, this wouldn’t sting as much, but I watched Gallus and Joe Coffee dominate there and it’s just sad how they have been used since coming stateside.

OR CHECK THIS OUT AT PROWRESTLING.NET: NXT TV results (1/16): Moore’s review of a 20-woman battle royal with the final four competing in a four-way match for a shot at the NXT Women’s Title, Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament matches