Jeremy’s WWE NXT Review 5.31.22

What’s up, NXT folks? It’s Tuesday evening, and thus we return for another episode of WWE NXT. I’m Jeremy Thomas, here as always, and tonight we’re in the home stretch for NXT In Your House. That certainly means some kind of Joe Gacy nonsense, but also we have a Women’s Championship Summit as Toxic Attraction sign their contracts for their matches against Wendy Choo and the team of Kayden Carter and Katana Chance. Cora Jade will battle Elektra Lopez, and Cameron Grimes will face Nathan Frazer in a warm-up bout before his match with Carmelo Hayes at IYH. And finally, we’re expected to see the finals of the NXT Women’s Breakout Tournament between Roxanne Perez and Tiffany Stratton. That’s a lot to get into, and hopefully it should make for a fun show.

Here in Thomas HQ, I took a slight break from movie watching for a couple of days and instead binged the absolute shit out of Stranger Things Season Four, Volume 1. This week’s NXT coverage might as well have “Running Up That Hill” as a soundtrack, because that absolute GEM of a song has been running through my head since Friday. I also watched the first two episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi and dug them.

I haven’t been completely movie free though, of course. My Marilyn watch project continued with the absolute classic Gentlement Prefer Blondes which is still amazing to this day, as well as the incredibly influential The Asphalt Jungle and the perfectly fine How to Marry a Millionaire. Outside of that I watched my second awful Liam Neeson film of 2022, the exceedingly generic Memory, and Netflix’s harrowing South Korean true crime documentary Cyber Hell: Exposing an Internet Horror. Outside of Memory, they’re all recommended.

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.

* Roderick Strong and Damon Kemp are walking backstage with the Creeds and Ivy Nile, but Roddy tells the others to take the night off. They leave and Ivy and the Creeds are…skeptical.

Roderick Strong & Damon Kemp vs. Pretty Deadly

Prince starts off with Roderick Strong and takes him down with a bodyslam, elbowdrop and cover for one. He immediately lays into Roddy in the hostile corner, beating him all the way to the other turnbuckle and whipping him across the ring hard. Kip tags in and they double suplex Strong, cover for one.

Kip with chops in the corner to Strong, Strong comes back and escapes a neckbreaker, then hits a dropkick off the ropes. Overhead hammer blows to Kip and he stomps on the Pretty Deadly member before tagging in Kemp.

Prince tags back in and takes Kemp down, doing some mocking amateur wrestling to humiliate Kemp. Kemp looks to Strong for advice and gets a slap to the face! Kemp is fired up and grabs Prince for a couple of big suplexes, comes off the ropes and runs right over Prince. Seated chinlock in tight, he gets up and tags in Roddy who kicks Prince in the gut and beats on his back — big chops in the corner.

Roddy nails into Prince, but Prince with a kick to the leg and then starts stomping Roddy in the corner. Kip tags in and kicks Strong out of the ring, then rams him back-first into the apron. Roll back into the ring, chop and Roddy fires back. They trade strikes, but Kep catches him in a front facelock and drags him over for Prince to tag in. Suplex by Prince, cover for two.

Kip tags back in, kick to the ribes and an Irish whip. Roddy hangs on and tags in Kemp, who comes in for a German suplex to Kip. Angle Slam-style suplex, and a whip into the corner for a spear against the turnbuckle and slingshot spear to boot! Prince in now, Roddy takes him out, and Diamond Mine hit double sidewalk slams! Pretty Deadly roll to the outside and we’re in PIP break.

Back from PIP break and Kip Wilson is in control of Kemp with a Million Dollar Dream, and he knocks Kemp down and locks in a rear chinlock. Kip laying on the mat with it now, he lets go and knees Kemp in the back of the head, then locks it back in. Kemp to his feet and fights out, he staggers back and tries to run to make the tag but Kip catches him! Jostle in the center of the ring, Kemp gets clsoe to the tag but is pulled back. Kip goes for a splash but Kemp dodges!

Prince tags in but Kemp has tagged in Strong, who hits a backbreaker on Prince followed by a double knee gutbuster. Big strikes by Strong, who goes for the Stronghold but Kip runs in. Strong lays in chops to both tag champs and knocks them both down. He goes to put Prince on his shoulders but Prince holds onto the ropes. Kip tags in, Prince takes out Kemp on the outside and Strong and Kip take each other down with clotheselines. Prince gives Kip a title, he goes to hit him but Creed makes the save! Strong covers for two. Pretty Deadly catch Strong and hit their finisher for the pinfall.

Winner: Pretty Deadly (13:17)
Rating: *** 1/2
Thoughts: Great match to start us off. Kemp looks great in the ring, Strong is always good and Pretty Deadly looked strong. The ending furthered the Diamond Mine split, which is not unexpected.

* Cameron Grimes gets ready for his match tonight when Solo Sikoa walks in and says he’s got his back so Melo and Trick don’t get involved. Solo reminds Grimes that he’s got his word that he has next. Duke Hudson walks in and says that he beat Bron Breakker next week, so he’s next for the NXT Championship. Grimes walks off with a shot at Duke’s haircut, and Solo says Hudson needed Joe Gacy so that doesn’t count. Hudson says he doesn’t expect Solo to get it, because he’s not on his level. Solo suggests a match between them tonight, and Duke says he’ll see what he can do.

* Backstage earlier today, Grayson Waller mocked the NXT recruits while talking up Tiffany Stratton and taking shots at Fallon Henley. She says the horse girl (Fallon) and her mates are going back where they belong. Briggs walks up and pats his shoulder — “He’s right behind me, isn’t he?” Briggs says he can impress them by facing him tonight.

* Earlier Today: Tony D and his goons walk into a yacht for their summit with Legado. Tony tells them to keep their head on a swivel and sits down. Santos walks up from below and Tony says they’re late. They go sailing.

Santos asks why Tony called the meeting and makes an AJ Galante joke. Tony says Santos walks around with his million dollar suits and he doesn’t trust him, and wouldn’t give him water if he was starving in the desert. Santos says he knows a snake when he sees one, and Tony is a cobra. But out in the jungle, Santos is a python and he wants to squeeze the life out of Tony. Their minions start talking shit, and Santos and Tony tell them to stop. Elektra says that Santos already won, so what’s in it for them? Tony says that if they want to up the stakes, how about a six-man tag match for In Your House? Winner ends up in the other person’s family under their direction.

Elektra asks why they would make a bet they can’t afford to lose, and Tony says that when you’re in charge, you make decisions other people can’t see. They agree to the match and make a few more threats back and forth.

Cora Jade vs. Elektra Lopez

Lopez slams Jade down to start and locks in a waistlock. Jade counters it but eats a back elbow, she leaps into a wheelbarrow hold and knocks Lopez down. Off the ropes with a basement dropkick for two.

Jade leaps at Lopez in the corner but gets caught and dropped. Lopez sends Jade’s head into the mat, kicks her, and then chokes her against the middle rope. Jade fires back with elbows, but eats a forearm and gets tossed across the ring. Double leg takedown and Lopez slams Jade’s head repeatedly into the mat before yanking on her hair.

Bodyslam by Lopez, followed by a second that Jade counters out of. Jade with forearms, she charges into the corner but Lopez moves and clips the knee. She yanks Jade into the center of the ring, hits a legdrop and cover for two.

Lopez with a single-leg submission, Cora crawls toward the ropes but gets her head slammed into the mat. She manages to get to the ropes for the break, Lopez grabs her legs and gets caught into a rana to the outside. Lopez back in and eats some elbows, off the ropes by Jade into a tilt-a-whirl takedown. Springboard double stomp, cover for two.

Lopez catches Jade for a sitdown powerbomb, pin but Jade grabs the rope. LOpez stomps at Jade and then grabs her on the apron, slamming her into the turnbuckle. Jade with a high knee, she goes up top, senton and cover for three.

Winner: Cora Jade (5:05)
Rating: ** 1/4
Thoughts: These two don’t work great together. The match was laid out but the execution just wasn’t there, their timing was off in several instances.

* Wes Lee is backstage against McKenzie, who asks why he’s challenging Xyon Quinn tonight. He says he’s been waiting for Quinn and he’s not at his best but he needs to take the match while Xyon will take it. Sanga walks in and says he should fight Xyon like he fought him. He says Lee has a giant heart and best of luck for tonight.

* Time for another Roxanne Perez vignette, and we see her meeting the Bellas and Natalya as a kid. She talks about her dream to become a WWE superstar and apparently the finals are now NEXT week. Oh, WWE. She says she was watching Raw and Smackdown while her friends were watching Pretty Little Liars and Stranger Things. Fuck, I’m old. She talks about training at Booker T’s school and how it just made her hungrier.

She says she missed hanging out with friends, even her prom for wrestling. And she says Cora was the one person who understood her because they were doing the same. She says Tiffany is twice her size and much stronger, but she’s not more determined. She says winning the tournament would change her life and she’s going to act like it next week.

Wes Lee vs. Xyon Quinn

Lee charges right in and attacks, but gets put in the corner and thrown across the ring but (mostly) lands on his feet. Kicks and an enzuigiri to Quinn, cover for two. Lee with a shoulder to Quinn’s gut, Sunset Flip but Quinn grabs him and drops him gut-first on the top rope before launching him off of it.

Lee fighting still from his knees, but Quinn drops him down. Kicks to the head of Quinn, he grabs Lee’s arm and yanks hard on it. Boot shove to the head of Lee and Quinn talks some trash. Lee fired up, he gets some shots in but gets thrown into the corner and then powerslammed down. Cover for two.

Quinn grabs Lee, picks him up and slams him in the corner, shoulders to the gut. He is backed off and charges back in, right into a knee. Kick by Lee, he goes for a moonsault off the second rope and gets caught — and LAWN DARTED into the middle turnbuckle! Quinn lays in wait, he goes for a spear — Lee dodges and rolls Quinn up for three!

Winner: Wes Lee (3:40)
Rating: ** 1/2
Thoughts: This was really good for a three and a half minute bout. Lee bumped his ass off and made Quinn look good. I hate fluke pins, but I’m not gonna hate on this TOO much because the eventual rematch has potential of WWE allows it to deliver.

* Roddy is pissed at the Creeds and says they cost him the match. Ivy Nile defends them, saying Juilus took the belt shot for him. Strong says that cost him the match, if only by DQ. He says when he tells them to do something, they do it. He says what’s best for Diamond Mine is for the Creeds to beat Pretty Deadly and if they don’t, they’re out of the group.

* Joe Gacy talks about Bron and his family, talking up Rick Steiner and how Bron would watch his dad perform and then fight with his brothers, which he says Rick let happen. Joe says Bron took his rage to the gridiron and gave new meaning to the term red zone. He then decided his aggression needed to come to the squared circle, where he became a two-time NXT Champion.

Gacy says he learned all this information from the time he spent with the kidnapped Rick. He says Bron’s family settles things with fists and tells Bron to bring the fury at In Your House to give him what he deserves. He says it’s more important to get even than to win a match and that Bron needs to go outside the rules for his family’s sake. Gacy says one way or another, the title is coming home with him.

* Bron is in the locker room watching that and McKenzie asks about his reaction. Bron says he’s not losing the title, and Gacy’s laugh echoes through the locker room. Bron nearly smashes the monitor in frustration but sets it down instead. He says maybe Gacy’s right, he is predictable but it’s a strength and he’ll rip Gacy apart at In Your House.

* Wade is in the ring for the Women’s Championship Summit and apparently the contracts are signed. Gigi starts to speak and Katana says they’ve been talking for eight months; it’s there time. She says they’re tired of seeing them with the titles and are knocking TA off the mountain. Gigi respects their confidence, but says there’s a long list of women who can’t even show their faces, left, or weren’t talented enough to hang with them.

Wendy says “JUST SIGN THE CONTRACT.” Jacy says they probably have butterflies in their stomachs, being their first PLE and says while they were making cringy TikToks and playing DDR, Toxic Attraction was controlling the division. Kayden says that they’ve barely been defending the titles and says that they’re the only tag team to beat them (that are still in NXT, hi Raquel and Dakota!). Jacy mocks them, and Wendy says “JUST SIGN THE CONTRACT.”

Mandy says she’s heard enough and they’re the best because the titles say so. She says the superstar with the most pressure isn’t Breakker or Grimes — Wendy says “JUST SIGN THE CONTRACT!” Mandy tries to keep talking and says the pressure is on her, but the NXT crowd is chanting “Sign the Contract!” Mandy rants that Wendy belongs in Candyland or Neverland and loses her shit, saying we all thought her reign would be short. But it’s been 200 days and counting. She says to put some respect on her name, and says to give her the contract. She signs it and says Wendy can play her games, run her mnouth — and Wendy hits her with a spitball, which turns it all into a brawl. Katana and Hayden dive on Jacy and Gigi, then save Wendy and take Mandy out. The table gets set up, Mandy is put on it, and Wendy dives off with an elbow drop through the table. The crowd loved this, but it was irritating AF.

* My feed briefly went out, but a match between Kiana James and ivy Nile was set up.

Solo Sikoa vs. Duke Hudson

Lockup to start, Hudson pushes Solo into the corner but gets smacked and sent into the turnbuckles. Duke turns it around and sends Solo into the corner, Solo comes out with a clothesline. Hudson with a shot, Solo answers back and charges into the corner with an avalanche. He charges in again but Duke escapes to the outside. Solo grabs his head but Hudson lays Solo out and springboards into a German suplex. Mounted punches from Duke and stomps, Solo fires back but gets whipped into the ropes and clotheselined down. Belly to belly from Hudson. Kick from Hudson but Solo back up and firing shots before he gets stopped, belly to belly for a two count.

Hudson with a neck wrench, he goes for the Razor’s Edge but Solo stops it and hits a back bodydrop. Duke charges in but Solo moves, nails some strikes and hits a Samoan Drop off the ropes. Solo charges into an avalanche, superkick in the corner, and he charges in for the hip in the corner. Solo up top, splash, cover.

Winner: Solo Sikoa (4:42)
Rating: ** 1/2
Thoughts: Perfectly acceptable match for the time given. Duke looked good in there and Solo got the win as expected.

* We get Tiffany Stratton’s vignette where she says she corrected the biggest injustice in the universe by taking Nikkita’s spot. It’s not like Nikkita was going to win anyway, and Tiffany talks about all her tournament wins. She says she works harder than everyone else but doesn’t expect the average people to get that.

She says OMG to Roxanne’s life story and says it’s as exciting as a cardboard box. Why didn’t Perez take an airplane to Booker T’s? She probably didn’t even have a date to prom. And after she wins the tournament, Roxanne can cry on Cora Jade’s shoulder.

* Thea Hail graduated last week, and we get a “press conference” where she says she will be attending the University of Notre — no, it doesn’t feel right. She’ll attend Andre Chase University.

Okay yeah, shoulda seen that coming.

Grayson Waller vs. Josh Briggs

Waller tells Jensen and Henley to go backstage and they comply. Briggs grabs Waller and sends him into the ropes, running him over. He catches him with a shot and runs him over once more, then slides out for an uppercut. Briggs back in and Waller gets a cheap shot, then lays in the shots and kicks.

Waller controls Briggs’ head and lays in some knee strikes to the dome, then mocks him with a bullriding moment before taking a shot to the head. Front suplex by Briggs but he misses the elbowdrop, Waller hits one of his own for two.

Waller with knee strikes to the head, headfirst into the turnbuckle and a back eblow in the corner. He goes up and over and hits a leg lariat for two. Another cover gets only one.

Waller line dances mockingly and heads shots to the gut, Briggs with a back suplex and out comes Robert Stone and Sofia Cromwell. Briggs knocks Waller down and lies in wait, big clothesline in the corner and he runs over Waller once more. Von Wagner on the corner, Briggs takes him out and Waller with the stunner through the ropes for the pin.

Winner: Grayson Waller (3:33)
Rating: ** 1/4
Thoughts: Obvious result is obvious. Too short to mean anything, it was just there to set up the Wagner stuff.

Wagner attacks Briggs after the match and slams his shoulder into the ringbost. Jensen is in now and pills Briggs to safety, Wagner goes to enter but is stopped by Sofia.

Ivy Nile vs. Kiana James

Ivy with a lockup to start, James turns it around and slaps Nile but gets knocked down as a result. Nile with a chinlock into a fireman’s carry takedown. Wristlock, James escapes and hits a forearm. Nile charges, James dodges and hits an elbow but gets knocked over. Nile gets drop-toe held into the corner and James takes over, hitting a sidewalk slam and cover for two.

James goes for a bow and arrow hold, but James escapes and flips Jams, over, then trips her and runs her over. Kicks to James and a step-up enzuigiri, charging kick in the corner and cover for two.

James turns it around and puts Nile in the corner, she lays into her and mocks her saying it’s brain over brawn. Suplex attempt blocked, Nile goes for a submission and James counters, crucifix for two. Nile clotheslines James down and lays in the fists. Kick to the gut, but slam for three.

Winner: Ivy Nile (3:35)
Rating: ** 1/4
Thoughts: Just an extended squash for what came after.

Pretty Deadly come out and congratulate Nile but say that they’ll be kicking the Creeds out. Elton says it must break Nile’s heart, and asks what she’ll do when Diamond Mine closes? The Creeds come out and Pretty Deadly try to leave but get grabbed by the Creeds and beaten on, they bail and the Creeds pose with the titles.

* A new vignette for Giovanni Vinci shows him in a suit with his car, with a voiceover saying he gives new meaning to the phrase World Class Sportsman. Apparently he speeds at speeds no one would dare and is leaving his past in the rear view. He is a refined man with a refined palette. Veni, Vidi, Vinci.

* Melo and Trick are here for commentary for the main event.

* We get a breakdown of the NXT In Your House matches.

Cameron Grimes vs. Nathan Frazer

Grimes goes under and grabs the leg for a takedown to start, Frazer counters out. Grimes goes for the leg again, turns it into a wristlock that goes into counter-wrestling. Grimes is taken down but he trips Frazer and they both come up staring at each other. Grimes with a takedown, cover for one and locks in a headlock right after. Grimes shot into the ropes, he runs Frazer over, off the ropes and Frazer with a BIG dropkick, Grimes bails. Frazer goes for a dive but Grimes slides in and nails Frazer. He flips around the ring a bit, springboard into the ring, rana off the ropes and Grimes bails to the outside. Frazer goes to dive through the ropes and Grimes moves, Frazer catches himself but eats a kick off the apron from Grimes as we go to PIP break.

Back live as Frazer pulls Grimes into the bottom turnbuckle. Grimes goes for a German suplex but Frazer escapes out and then hits a sprinboard moonsault into an inverted DDT! Forearms by Frazer, Grimes firs back with a shot and then does it again. Frazer off the ropes, crossbody to Grimes. Suplex attempt countered by Grimes into a front suplex, and he runs Frazer over a couple of times. Grimes psyches up and charges in but eats a superkick.

Frazer up and hits a standing moonsault, but Grimes gets his feet up. Grimes goes for a German suplex, Frazer counters into a rollup and flips over Grimes off the ropes, but gets caught with a uranage for two! Both men slow to get up, they’re at their knees and trade shots as they get to their feet. Grimes sends Frazer to his knees with a kick to the chest, but Frazer back up with shots and an enzuigiri!

Frazer off the ropes and gets run over with a clotheslines, Grimes goes for a powerbomb but Frazer turns it into a rana and cover for two! He dives over the ropes onto Grimes after the latter bails to the outside, then rolls him in. Frazer on the apron and climbs up top, but Grimes is up and hits a German off the top. Cave In, cover, pin.

Winner: Cameron Grimes (10:11)
Rating: *** 1/2
Thoughts: Fantastic closer that I had trouble keeping up with. Not a surprise as both these two are great, and they worked well together.

Trick attacks after and gets sent to the outside, Melo attacks but nearly gets nailed with a high knee before Trick saves him.

And with that, we’re done for the night!

7.5

The final score: review Good

The 411

Despite being a fairly low-key episode of NXT this week, I rather enjoyed it. The main event was absolute fire for an TV match and the opening bout was strong; the only things I would actively say to avoid were Cora vs. Elektra because they don't click well and the Women's Championship Summit which wasn't executed well all-around. This did a solid job of building to the PPV, which I think is lackluster on paper but they did what they could to draw interest.