NXT HITS & MISSES (8/13): Joe Hendry in opening segment, Oba Femi vs. Otis, D’Angelo vs. Dempsey, Lola Vice vs. Tatum Paxley, Thorpe vs. Lexis King, more

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Opening Segment: Hit

Strike while the Joe Hendry iron is red hot. Adding him to the title hunt should be fun, as he is so over and Page has slipped into the role of smarmy heel champion. The addition of Wes Lee makes for an interesting dynamic with his recent heel turn. I’ll be curious if they pull the title off Page this quickly, but if they did, Hendry could be the go to guy, even if’s a quick title run with Page getting back shortly after.

Tony D’Angelo vs. Charlie Dempsey for The Heritage Cup: Hit

Tony had a better than anticipated run with the Cup and I feel that although his Mafia Don persona comes across as “gimmicky”, I feel he elevated the Cup with a series of good matches. I’m looking forward to Dempsey’s run with the Cup. His character development, especially with the addition of Wren Sinclair has been a lot of fun. I just don’t want to see the Cup matches going back to complete comedy like under the reign of Noam Dar. The No Quarter Catch Crew has become one of my favorite parts of the show.

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Eddy Thorpe vs. Lexis King: Miss

The match itself wasn’t bad, but I don’t know why Thorpe has become such a rudderless ship. It’s like they push a character only to change it to another and then make it a hybrid of the two. The whole “rock” versus “EDM” thing doesn’t really do anything for me. I like King, but a feud with a guy that seems to lose more than he wins isn’t going to be the push he might be looking for.

Lola Vice vs. Tatum Paxley: Minor Hit

C’mon, give Paxley a win for crying out loud! The match was too short to really matter and served more as a vehicle to establish the new character of Choo and her quest for the North American championship. Vice’s babyface turn seemed abrupt (I also thought they should do it, but it didn’t feel fleshed out).

Wes Lee segment: Hit

I think it will take Lee a few tries to really dive into his heel persona, but this was a pretty good start. Some people still want to root for him, so he needs to find that second gear on the mic to turn those fans away. His closing line was brilliant and carried some realism and authenticity based on Wentz’s previous run and dismissal from the company.

Oba Femi vs. Otis: Minor Hit

Certainly not the prettiest match that you’ll watch this week, but a typical big man match with power moves and even though we’ve seen Oba with a few bigger competitors, Otis’ style made for a different dynamic.

Brinley Reece vs. Izzi Dame: Middle of the Road

The match went almost twice as long as the Vice/Paxley match up, so there’s that, but this was another of those women’s matches that are randomly thrown out there with the only build up being something that happened earlier in the show. Dame has shown improvement in the ring, but it’ll be interesting how she stacks up against a more seasoned wrestler and given more time to tell an in-ring story.

Nathan Frazier & Axiom vs. Chase U: Hit

After putting aside all the distractions and committed to being focused, Frazer and Axiom lose their titles the first match. I’m not sure if they will continue to stay as tag partners or seek out individual runs now. Chase U winning wasn’t on my radar and if they did, that it was going to be a further wedge driven between Holland and Duke Hudson, but the match was clean with a clean finish. Chase U continues to be one of the most outlandish and yet delightful parts of NXT (and wrestling in general). Fun match up and a feel good moment for The U.