wrestling / TV Reports
Jeremy’s WWE NXT Review 5.2.23
Image Credit: WWE
Loading...Hello, everyone and welcome to our live WWE NXT coverage right here on 411! I’m Jeremy Thomas, and tonight NXT is in the lame duck era of the Draft where the new rosters haven’t taken effect yet. The Draft led to a lot of people being called up including Grayson Waller, Indi Hartwell, Pretty Deadly Katana Chance & Kayden Carter, Zoey Stark, JD McDonagh, Indus Sher, Odyssey Jones and Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn. That’s quite the dent in the NXT roster — including the NXT Women’s Champion and NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions. One of those situations may be resolved as Alba and Isla will defend the Women’s Tag Titles against… *checks notes*
…oh. Katana and Kayden. Well, huh.
Anyway, we should have a ton of fallout from those callups tonight. In addition, Wes Lee will defend the NXT North American Championship against Drew Gulak, while Gigi Dolin faces her heated rival in Jacy Jayne. And McDonagh bids farewell to NXT with a match against Dragon Lee. There’s a lot of potential on tap tonight, and I’m hopeful for a good show.
Here at Thomas HQ, I did a bit of movie-watching over the past week as per usual. I watched the found-footage flicks Horror in the High Desert and Horror in the High Desert 2: Minerva, the first of which was decent and the latter of which was watchable if not exactly great. I can’t say the same about the Peacock documentary Cocaine Bear: The True Story, which basically stretches what you can read on Wikipedia into 52 minutes. And I did a rewatch of Scream 2 (still fantastic) for an upcoming guest appearance on the Check This Out! podcast.
I am deep into my watch of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, having gotten two episodes into season six. Still loving it, to say the least.
Anyway, we’re gonna have a lot to cover tonight so let’s hop right in.
As a reminder, the GoFundMe for Larry’s daughters is still active and if you can make a donation, that would be awesome. Thank you so much to everyone who’s done so thus far.
* We start off with a recap of the WWE Draft and the NXT talent being drafted. Oh yeah, Von Wagner got drafted too.
* We’re opening up with Wes Lee defending the NXT North American Championship!
NXT North American Championship Match
Wes Lee vs. Drew Gulak
Lee with a dropkick to start and he lays into Gulak, battering the challenger until he exits the ring. Dempsey gets on the apron and distracts Lee, which allows Gulak to sneak in and roll Lee up for two. Lee gets his own roll-up for two, Gulak off the ropes but gets caught with a sunset flip for a nearfall.
Lee kicks Gulak down and lays in a series of kicks followed by a double stomp to the back. Gulak whipped into the corner, Lee charges in, catches a boot from Gulak and puts him on the top rope. Lee up and sets Gulak up for a superkick, Gulak blocks it and tries pick Lee up. He knocks Lee off the top and leaps off the top to nail Lee, cover for two.
Gulak stomps Lee in the chest and grabs Lee’s ankles, he stomps Lee again and covers for two. Gulak with a chinlock and shoulderlock combo, Lee gets to his feet and elbows out but Gulak with shots to the head. Lee fights back, they’re trading blows in the center of the ring. Lee gets staggered but fights back with body shots. Snapmare by the champ and dropkick to the back. Gulak in the corner, Lee charges in with an uppercut and kick to the back, he goes for the German but Gulak blocks it and shoves Lee off.
Gulak to the outside and Lee dives right on top of him! Lee rolls Gulak in, Dempsey grabs Lee as he tries to slide in and Tyler Bate lays Dempsey out! Lee with an uppercut to Gulak through the ropes, Lee with the handspring Pele kick for three.
Winner: Wes Lee (5:22)
Rating: ** 3/4
Thoughts: Good, technically sound starting match. Lee picks up another win and Gulak did his part to keep this match entertaining.
* We are reminded that Carmelo Hayes beat Grayson Waller last week before calling out Bron Breakker, who blindsided him and Trick before spearing Melo through a piece of the stage. Melo was stretchered out after.
* Trick Williams is WALKING backstage.
* Alba and Isla say the future is hard to predict and they rely on the spirits to guide them, which is taking them to Smackdown. This is their last night in NXT and they have one more match. They say Katana and Kayden have been the standard bearer in NXT’s women’s tag division and they will bring their titles to Smackdown to be the standard bearer for all three brands.
* Trick Williams is in the ring and wants to get right to business. He says Bron put his brother in the hospital and Melo is still banged up, but he’s a fighter and that’s been the case since high school. He transfered into the high school Melo was at and was eying the ladies, but was looking for who he would be up against and saw Melo. Melo is his brother and no one will ever be closer to each other.
He says last week he moved Melo to take Bron’s spear and it was instinctual, and he’d do it again if he had to. He says they’re like Shaq and Kobe and Melo doesn’t miss, but when he does Trick is coming down with the rebound.
Her comes Bron Breakker! He says that he knows who the tough guy is because he speared Trick and put him in the recliner but he’s still here, while Melo is in the hospital so Battleground is gonna be easier. Trick asks if he accepts the Battleground challenge and Bron says he doesn’t want to represent these fans, but he wants to humiliate Melo in his hometown. He says he wants Trick to send the message and moves to go, and Trick says Melo is surely watching, and he wants to handle this with Bron like men.
Bron says there’s only one man standing in the ring and he already put Melo in the hospital, and would hate to do the same with his mouthpiece. Trick says he’s not just a mouthpiece and Bron is just sad the people never respected him. Bron teases doing it and says they’ll do it next week and it can be a preview of Battleground, when he breaks Trick in half.
* McKenzie congratulates JD McDonagh for being drafted to Raw. JD says he has a two decdade long chip on his shoulder and is interrupted by Noam Dar, who asks JD to pop Dragon Lee’s kneecap for old time’s sake so he stays away from the Heritage Cup. JD says Noam is a sneaky, slimy snake and should stay away because if he pisses JD off, JD will take the Heritage Cup to Raw.
* We get a little montage of clips for Dani Palmer, who debuts tonight.
Gigi Dolan vs. Jacy Jayne
Gigi’s brother is at ringside. Gigi catches a pump kick attempt to start and they counter each other a bit, Gigi gets kicked in the gut but sends Jacy to the outside. Jacy trips Gigi up and knocked to the floor, Jacy with a senton onto her. Jacy talks trash to Gigi’s brother before rolling Gigi in for a two-count.
Jacy lays into Gigi and knocks her down, senton and a series of kicks followed by a cover for two. She gets Gigi on her shoulders but Gigi slips out, half-and-half suplex countered with a kick but Gigi kicks her right back. Gigi ducks a clothesline and “hits” a couple roundhouses, thrust kick and a clothesline for two.
Gigi grabs Jacy in the corner for a German suplex but Jacy escapes, Gigi with a clothesline to the back of the head. Out of the ring now, Jacy is sent into the guardrail and the ring steps before a couple rapid kicks to the head. Jacy rolled in at six, she goes to the apron but Gigi grabs her. Jacy is busted open and slams Gigi into the ringpost, cover for three.
Winner: Jacy Jayne (Didn’t Get the Match Time due to Technical Issues)
Rating: ** 1/4
Thoughts: Better than some of their usual efforts, though it was too short to really get going.
A bleeding Jacy beats on Gigi post match and steps on her head while talking trash to Gigi’s brother. Officials back her off and she talks trash the whole way to the back.
Axiom vs. SCRYPTS
SCRYPTS attacks before the match. We start off with a dropkick from Axiom once the bell rings, he slams SCRYPTS and tries to lock in an armbar but SCRYPTS escapes to the outside. SCRYPTS tries Axiom on the apron and then runs over the commentary booth to dive onto him. He rolls Axiom in and covers for two.
Shot to the head of Axiom and a blow across the back. Whip into the ropes, SCRYPTS with a clothesline to Axiom and then an other Irish whip, but Axiom ducks under for a sleeper. SCRYPTS escapes and goes up top, Axiom follows but gets elbowed down, BIG moonsault for two-plus.
SCRYPTS stomps at Axiom’s head and taunts him as weak and pathetic, which leads to Axiom coming back hot with shots and a dropkick. Knee lift in the corner and a belly to belly, he goes up top and leaps off but SCRYPTS with a dropkick to counter. SCRYPTS lies in wait, he runs in but Axiom catches the boot, flips him and hits a knee to the chin for a nearfall!
Axiom goes for the Golden Radio but SCRYPTS dodgdes and takes Axiom down. Up top, he leaps into a superkick. Axiom backs up, Golden Ratio and that’s it.
Winner: Axiom (4:16)
Rating: ** 1/2
Thoughts: As good as a four-minute match can be. Reggie may have a dumb gimmick but he can still deliver in the ring, and these two work great together.
Axiom almost leaves but doesn’t and instead offers SCRYPTS a hand. He helps SCRYPTS up and gets a kick, so Axiom takes him out and pulls the mask off to “expose” SCRYPTS as Reggie.
* Josh Briggs and Fallon Henley are in the bar when Jensen walks up and apologizes. Fallon and Briggs say they’re good and they’re family, so Brooks says thank you for not dropping him like a bad habit. Briggs compliments Brooks’ clothesline and Jensen says that he learned things from Kiana, suggesting that Fallon use some of the land to make some money and set them up for life. Fallon and Briggs are impressed and a couple gorgeous woman come up and hit on him. He says no thank you and the three toast.
Dragon Lee vs. JD McDonagh
JD kicks at Lee’s hand to start before they lock up. Lee off the ropes and runs over JD for a quick one-count, wristlock by Lee that JD tries to counter out of to no lock. JD backs Lee into the corner and backs off just long enough for a body shot, headlock by JD who gets shot into the ropes and runs Lee over. Still into the ropes, Lee with a monkey flip and cover for two.
Lee with a whip across the ring and a charge into a trip and then a charging dropkick in the corner. Lee backs up and hits a second one! A third attempt but Noam Dar is out and distracts him, which lets JD take out Lee. Lee put into the Tree of Woe, sliding dropkick but Lee pulls himself up and JD crotches himself on the ringpost!
Lee lays in forearms and hits a back body drop, followed by an atomic slam and a clothesline over the top as we go to PIP break.
Back from PIP break and JD has Lee in a bodyscissors to grind Lee down. Dar watches from the outside as Lee elbows out of the body scissors, JD with a big shot to Lee and sets him on the top. JD up with him and goes to rip Lee’s mask off. He fights JD off and knocks him to the mat, Lee with a high crossbody to McDonagh!
Lee lays in forearms and comes off the ropes for a rana to JD. JD to the outside, and Lee leaps over the top onto him! He grabs JD and rolls him in, going up top — Coup de Gras! He covers but JD kicks out!
JD rolls his way to the apron and Lee follows him there, picking him up. Chop from JD to the chest, Lee answers back. They’re trading chops, Lee with a big knee strike to the jaw. JD gets Lee on his shoulders though and hits a DVD onto the apron! Both men down on the outside, they get to their feet at eight but JD slams him back into the booth and gets in at nine — and Lee is in at 10!
JD grabs Lee and lays in kicks to the head, followed by a chop — but Lee with a kick to the head. Snap German suplex, knee to the jaw, Poison Rana! Lee off the ropes but is turned inside out with a clothesline! JD with a chop to Lee, who fires back and they trade strikes. Slap from JD, powerbomb countered, Dragon Lee with the sit-down powerbomb for two!
Lee crawls to the apron and goes up top, but JD runs into the ropes to crotch Lee. JD up top, he grabs Lee but gets knocked into a sitting position, he fights back and hits the Spanish Fly! Brain buster, cover for thre–NO!
JD is redy to finish it, but Lee counters Devil’s Inside with the Canadian Destroyer! JD to the outside, Lee rolls him back in and ducks a shot from Dar, superkicking him. Lee inside, headbutt, Devil Inside and that finishes it.
Winner: JD McDonagh (14:59)
Rating: *** 3/4
Thoughts: Hey look, NXT decided to show up at last. Fantastic match between these two that had a lot of close falls and impeccable work. JD getting the win is a slight surprise as I expected he’d “do the honors” on the way to Raw, but Lee doesn’t need it and it gives JD a bit of momentum on his way to Raw.
Lee attacks Dar and fights him to the back afterward.
* Katana Chance talks with Kayden Carter about a Raw Tag Team facing a Smackdown Tag Team for the NXT Women’s Tag Team Titles. Kayden says Isla and Alba are not taking the titles to Smackdown and Katana points out that they’ve been partners longer. Kayden says they’re going out as tag champions and Katana wants a hug, which Kayden isn’t down with.
* The Schism are ready for Joe Gacy’s match with Joe Coffey. Oh yeah, that’s happening. Ava says to do this for the Dyad, and then do something for him.
* We get a reminder that Nikkita Lyons and Wendy Choo were previously attacked in the parking lot, followed by Sol Ruca in the PC.
Joe Gacy vs. Joe Coffey
Lock up to star,, Coffey gets Gacy in the corner but Gacy turns it around to batter Coffey, Coffey turns it right back around and lays into Gacy. Coffey off the ropes for a crossbody and cover for one, but Gacy right back up for a kneelift. He slams Coffey down and hits a uranage and covers for two, then locks in a chinlock.
Coffey back to his feet and throws Gacy off, Gacy sends Coffey into the ropes but he comes out and nails Gacy. Coffey off the ropes with a leaping shoulder tackle, followed by a belly to belly for two. Coffey gets Gacy up but Gacy with a right hand and a back suplex, cover for two.
Gacy charges in the corner but gets rocked with a right to the head. Coffey up top for a missile dropkick, followed by a Glasgow Sendoff. He wipes Gacy out and covers him, but Fowler gets his foot on the ropes. The Schism and Gallus brawl, Ava acts like she got hit to distract the ref and Gacy hits a handspring Stunner for three.
Winner: Joe Gacy (3:23)
Rating: ** 1/4
Thoughts: Way too rushed, they never took a moment to let anything breathe and it hurt the match as a whole. If you’re gonna keep going with Schism this win was needed. I don’t love them as a group to say the least, but I get why the win happened.
* Dani Palmer is prepping backstage when Hank Walker and Tank Ledger hype her up. She leaves and Hank and Tank are excited for her. Oba walks up and stares at them before walking away.
* A camera crew asks Eddy if he’s done for the day and he says yeah. He was working on lateral side-to-side movement. Damon Kemp walks up and tells him to throw his trash away, and Damon isn’t amused. He says it’s not funny and Kemp says the funniest joke is that Thorpe could hang in the ring with him. Eddy asks if he wants to test that and Damon says not to make him laugh.
Dani Palmer vs. Tatum Paxley
Tatum gets Dani in the corner and whips her out of it, Dani with a handspring. She catches Tatum’s legs and pends them up in a submission, but Dani counters out. Tatum with a wristlock, Dani acrobatically escapes. Tatum sends Dani in the corner, Dani goes up and over and hits Tatum with a rana, cover for two and then right into a headlock.
Tatum gets to her feet and sends Dani into the corner, Dani tries to go up and over but Tatum stops short and then stomps Dani to the mat. Gutwrench suplex by Dani, cover for two. Dani shoved into the ropes, Tatum with a punch and a leaping elbow for two.
Tatum locks in a chinlock and bends Dani backward. Dani to her feet and Tatum with an abdominal stretch. Dani escapes and locks in one of her own, Tatum reverses but Dani escapes and dodges an elbow drop. Palmer off the ropes with leaping back elbows, leaping double knee and a neckbreaker. She hits a flipping suplex and comes off the top for a frog splash to pin Tatum.
Winner: Dani Palmer (3:58)
Rating: ** 1/2
Thoughts: Perfectly good match to get Dani her first main NXT match. Palmer has a lot of potential and I can see her making it to the top of the division.
* Time for Chase U! Andre Chase is late and Thea is freaking out. She gets a notification that Chase cancelled class, so Duke steps up and says he’ll teach class today. Today’s lesson is the WWE Draft. One of the guys asks if there’s no pop quiz, and Duke tells everyone to hold up their papers — now rip them in half. NO MORE POP QUIZZES! Duke University has a nice ring to it, Hudson says.
* Robert Stone is looking through a photo album of Von Wagner’s, which shows SummerSlam in Wembley Stadium where Von’s dad wrestled. Stone tells Von he is a free agent and he can go to either brand, then stops when he sees photos of Von as a kid undergoing medical procedures. Von doesn’t want to talk about it and walks off. Did they just give Wagner a storyline with Stone when he’s heading to the main roster? Okay then.
NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship Match
Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn vs. Kayden Carter & Katana Chance
Alba and Isla attack the challengers before the bell and throw them to the outside. Kayden and Isla brawl and Kayden ducks under a shot by Alba, Katana leaps over onto the champions.
Back in the ring and the bell rings. Alba takes over on Katana and gets her in the corner, Isla tags in and Katana goes under, kicking Ilsa so she can tag in Kayden. Isla sent to the outside, Alba comes in and is sent to the outside. Kayden dives on Alba, Katana dives on Isla and we go to PIP break.
Back from break and Kayden is in trouble, but she dodges a splash from LAba and Katana tags in. Facebuster to Alba and a rana, strikes in the corner but Alba shoves her off. Katana dives in with a clothesline and hits a flip heel kick, cover for two.
Alba sent into the hostile corner, Kayden tags in, snapmare and a springboard & moonsault legdrop combo with a cover for two. ALba fights back but eats a boot from Kayden, Katana with a shoulder drive and Kayden flips Katana onto Alba, but Alba gets the knees up. Isla tags in, Alba up top, backstabber into a senton, cover but Kayden gets the knees up.
Carter takes out Fyre but Isla hits her with a roundhouse. Katana with a roll-up and then a backstabber. Kayden tags in, Katana up top, finisher and a cover but alba breaks it up.
All four women are down now, Alba and Katana leave the ring. Kayden and Isla are slowly up, the other two tag in and we get a four-woman brawl! Fyre takes out Kayden, Katana goes after her but gets kicked down. ALba up top, Isla dodges a kick but gets shoved into the ropes and crotches Alba. Kayden up top, Katana tags in and they climb up, double Spanish Fly and a cover for two.
Kayden grabs Alba, Katana tags in, they go for their finisher again but Chance leaps over and hits Isla with a crossbody. Rana caught by Fyre who swings Katana into Kayden, Isla tags in, Gory Bomb and Downward Spiral combo, cover and pin.
Winner: ALba Fyre & Isla Dawn (9:12)
Rating: ***
Thoughts: Two great NXT teams here and they both delivered. This was fast-paced and chaotic as you’d expect but not in an out of control way.
* Dijak is backstage and says he gave Ilka a warning not to show up, but he did and his ribs are now smashed. He says Ilja looked helpless smashed under the door and he left a piece to destroy next week. He will finally break Ilja next week.
* Indi Hartwell is walking to the ring with crutches.
* Trick Williams is on the phone in the parking lot and sees Crews, congratulating him on heading to Raw. Crews says he sees a lot in Trick and Melo has the spotlight he deserves, and a lot of guys in the locker room wishes they had Trick’s gifts. They give a show of respect and Crews leaves.
Set For Next Week:
– Dijak vs. Ilja Dragunov
– NXT Tag Team Titles: Gallus vs. The Dyad
* Indi is in the ring. The crowd gives her a “You Deserve It” chant and she says she stepped into the WWE PC for the first time 1,330 days ago. She was a fan of Black & Gold and reference the stars who created the division, those who helped make the title one of the most important in WWE. No one ever thought she’d do it; they counted her out and doubted her until she found The Way with Johnny, Candice, Austin and Sexy Dexy. She formed a bond with them, but also with the fans. She got married in the ring with no interruptions, which she couldn’t believe just like she couldn’t believe winning the title at Stand & Deliver. A lot of people say they want to be a fighting champion but they can’t prove that. Last week she had a high ankle sprain and said “Hell no!” so she returned to the ring.
And then came Friday and she got drafted to Raw. She says it’s been a few days and she can’t believe it still. Right now, just like she was 23, the most important thing is NXT and this title, and a tournament will start for a new champion that culminates at Battleground. She says she has one more thing to say, a quote she lives by: “Don’t cry because it’s over; smile because it happened.”
Indi sets the title in the ring and says she needs to figure out how to get out of the ring, and goes to leave — and DEXTER SLIDES OUT FROM UNDER THE RING! InDex lives AGAIN! He picks her up and carries her to the back, and she thumbs up on the way.
Tiffany Stratton picks up the NXT Women’s Title, and Cora Jade is there to stop her. It quickly turns into an all-out women’s brawl. And with that, we’re done for the night!
