Jeremy’s WWE NXT Review 6.13.23

Hello, everyone and welcome to our live WWE NXT coverage right here on 411! I’m Jeremy Thomas once again, and tonight’s episode will see Bron Breakker address his call-out of Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship from last week’s episode. In addition, we’ll see new #1 contender for the NXT Women Championship Thea Hail battle Cora Jade while Wes Lee, Tyler Bate and Mustafa Ali will face off with Schism. Ilja Dragunov will take on Baron Corbin, and finally Malik Blade will face Edris Enofé in a “friendly battle” of tag team partners. Sounds like an intriguing show all in all!

Here at Thomas HQ, I’ve been very busy with my movie-viewing thanks to my Queer As Fuck Pride Month viewing challenge. Over the past week I watched a fuzzy little lesbian romcom in 2004’s Saving Face that also dives into topics around Chinese culture and it was fun. On the flip side, the similarly-themed England and Jordanian-set I Can’t Think Straight fell into some flat tropes and had some questionable dialogue choices. I saw the 1968 classic Midnight Cowboy which was as fantastic as its reputation suggests, the wonderful Sirk-esque 50s-set drama Far from Heaven, the definition of camp that is Barbarella, and the affecting documentary about queer representation in cinema from 1995, The Celluloid Closet.

Outside of the Pride Month challenge watching, I did a rewatch of Rent which remains one of my favorite movie musicals of all-time. I also caught a couple of new releases in the stunningly-good Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and the aggressively mediocre The Boogeyman.

In TV, as usual I saw the latest episodes of Queen Of the Universe season two, Drag Race All Stars season eight and am almost complete on Drag Me to Dinner, all of which are great and highly 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.

* We start off with a graphic in memory of the Iron Sheik.

* We’re LIVE in the Capitol Wrestling Center, and Schism is already in the ring.

Schism vs. Tyler Bate, Wes Lee & Mustafa Ali

We start off with a six-man brawl! Everyone gets nailed and knocked down until it ends with Gacy and Bate. Bate sent into the corner but he kicks Gacy and hits an elbow off the second rope. ALi tags in and comes off the top to kneedrop Gacy’s elbow. Gacy reverses a whip into the corner, Ali flips over him and hits a headscissor takedown.

Gacy powers ALi into the hostile corner and Fowler tags in, laying in punches. Ali reverses an Irish whip, Wes Lee with the blind tag and hits a springboard sitdown splash and dropkick for two. Wes with a headlock, Fowler gets the tag to Jagger and they grab Wes for a double electric chair to hang him on the ropes.

Gacy wants the tag and gets it, he comes in and Wes thrown into a standing uranage for a two count. Wes back up into a fist into the head, Reid tags back in and lays into Lee in the corner. Fowler tags in for a charging clothesline, spinning heel kick by Reid and Fowler covers for two. Another pin but Lee kicks out, and then a third time.

Fowler grabs Lee for a short-arm clothesline an then pick him up, but Lee fights back. Elbow to Lee’s jaw backs him into the bad corner, Gacy tags in and lays in a couple of strikes before choking him against the ropes. Lee is trying to fight out but gets hit with an uppercut, cover for two.

Fowler tags in, kick to the chest and then another to the head. Lee out to the apron, he gets a shoulder to Fowler’s gut and goes for a sunset flip but Reid tags in and kicks Lee in the head. Reid goes for a suplex, but Lee escapes and goes for the tag. Reid stops him but he kicks Reid and tags in Bate, who comes in hot. WHip into the corner and a back body drop, Bate charges in for an uppercut and then a half-and-half suplex. Standing shooting star press for two.

Bate puts Reid in his shoulders but Schism comes in, Ali and Bate come in and they knock Schism out of the ring, then dive on top of them! And we’re on break.

We’re back and Bate is powering out of a chinlock by Fowler. He goes for the tag but Fowler with a short-arm clothesline. Fowler looms over Bate and kicks him lightly in the head, then hits an elbow to the same. Suplex attempt blocked by Bate, who picks Fowler up for his own suplex. Bate goes for the tag, he gets it as does Reid.

Ali in hot and comes off the ropes with a dropkick, but gets pulled and hung on the second rope. Reid takes out Lee but gets nailed by Ali, who runs across the ring and knocks Gacy off the ropes. He gets on the apron and hits an enzuigiri to Fowler, but gets yuanked off the apron. Everyone starts coming in and nailing whoever is up one at a time, Ali with a neckbreaker to Reid. He goes up for the 450, Reid escapes and sends Ali HARD into the second turnbuckle.

Reid tags in Fowler, Ali tags in Lee who takes it to Forwler with strikes, a snapmare and dropkick to the back. He leaps over the turnbuckle onto Gacy and Fowler! Cardiac Kick dodges, Fowler accidentally hits the ref and then takes out Lee. Dyad grabs Lee and tosses him onto a powerbomb, ref counts — and a second ref stops him because someone isn’t the legal man. Bate and ALi take out Gacy, then Ali hits a Tornado DDT on the floor. Lee takes out Fowler, Bate with a clothesline and Tiger Driver ’97 to Gacy for the pin.

Winner: Wes Lee, Tyler Bate & Mustafa Ali (14:24)
Rating: *** 1/2
Thoughts: That was a great, hot match to start it all off. Everyone delivered here and the finish was weird but it worked. Right team one, and this should accelerate the likely Schism tensions.

* Earlier today, Gulak and Dempsey are critiguing Hail’s performance in the battle royal. Hail is hyped up and gets in Gulak’s face. They are getting her pumped up, and Duke Hudson comes in and says it’s hard to grade papers if they keep yelling. Gulak mocks Hail and they walk off all together. Duke gets on the phone to Andre Chase and leaves another voice mail asking about an update on his recovery. He says things are getting out of hand.

* Bron Breaker is WALKING in a snazzy black suit and cross pendant.

* We’re back and Bron Breakker is coming to the ring. He says he guesses he made some headlines by taking out Ilja and then calling out the biggest superstar from Monday Night Raw. He says it’s all about accountability and that everyone will be held accountable for their actions. Ilja didn’t look like the most intense superstar last week when he speared him through the concrete. And Seth Rollins is everything he says he is until he locks eyes with Bron.

Bron asks where Seth the workhorse champion is — and Ilja is out here trying to get to him, but is held back by officials. Bron says Ilka isn’t on his level and tells the officials to get him out of here. He says everyone will be held accountable from this moment forward. Ilja, Rollins, doesn’t matter.

Rollins is here! On the Tron at least. He says what do you think this is? Just because they’re NXT Champions, Bron can call him out and get a shot at the title? That’s not how things works. But Seth likes his style and has been in Bron’s spot before. ANd Truth be told, it would be kind of nice to go back to where it all started. He can’t believe he’s gonna say this, but challenge accepted. Next week he’s returning to the house he built and it’s Rollins vs. Breaker for the World Heavyweight Championship on NXT.

* We get a closer look at Dana Brooke, so apparently she is staying around. The video looks at her time in NXT & on the main roster, and she says she’s ready to roll and playtime is over.

* McKenzie is backstage with Dana and asks how long she’ll be in NXT. Dana says as long as NXT will have her, and she’ll work any show in WWE. She’s made lemonade out ot lemons her whole career and has busted her ass. Now she’s home where it all started.

Cora Jade comes in and says she would have won the battle royal if not for her. Dana says don’t blame her, blame her own sense of entitledment. Cora says she’ll show Dana how good she is tonight and slaps her, then beelines out.

* Wes, Ali and Bate are celebrating backstage. Lee says it might have been different if not for the second ref but Bate says the important thing is they put Schism in their place. Ali agrees with Wes and says they know what’s next: Lee vs. Bate for the North American Championship. Ali asks what if he was the special guest referee. Lee and Bate are both down with it, and Ali asks where they’re going out to tonight. Bate says he knows this great vegan place.

Thea Hail vs. Cora Jade

Lock up to start, Hail backed into the corner. Hail shoves Jade out, they go back into the lock up and Jade with a headlock takedown. Back up, Jade shot into the ropes and runs Hail over. Into the ropes, Hail goes for a leapfrog but is knocked down. Jade grabs Hail but Dana Brooke is out and Hail gets a takedown.

Jade with a wristlock that Hail counters out of. Hail goes into the ropes and does a waistlock, then an armdrag takedown. Wristlock but Cora sends Thea headfirst into the second turnbuckle and hits an elbowdrop into Hail against the second rope for a two-count.

Kick to the stomach and an enzuigiri by Cora, she hits a springboard stomp and covers for two. Chinlock by Jade, Thea back up and gets Jade on her back, slamming her repeatedly into the corner until the hold is broken. Leaping forearms by Thea and a splash in the corner. Half nelson suplex and a springboard Coffin Drop for one, big suplex follows. Jade out of the ring, Thea runs for a dive through the ropes but gets decked. Cora nails her again and grabs the pipe, but the ref pulls it away. Dana Brooke slams Cora into the steps with the ref’s back turned! Thea gets Cora in the ring and locks in the Kimura, Cora taps.

Winner: Thea Hail (4:18)
Rating: **
Thoughts: Not great, but it did what it needed to. Thea gets the win and Cora has an excuse for the loss. It didn’t get enough time to mean much, though.

* We get a vignette spotlighting the Heritage Cup and recapping the rules once again.

* Dragon Lee and Nathan Frazer WALK backstage. Noam Dar is coming to the ring…with crutches?

* Shawn Michaels has announced that the winner of Baron Corbin vs. Ilja Dragunov battles Carmelo Hayes for the NXT Championship in two weeks at NXT Gold Rush.

* Dar and his posse are in the ring with Nathan Frazer and Dragon Lee, and says that Frazer is a snake who brutally attacked him in the parking lot. Dar tells Nathan not to deny him and says his main man Ora Mensah will defend his honor and defend the Heritage Cup.

NXT Heritage Cup Championship Match
Nathan Frazer vs. Ora Mensah

Round One

Frazer with a roll-up to star for two. They lock back up, Ora gets Nathan in the corner and they call for the break, but Ora with a shot to the gut. WHip back into the corner and a flip kick, but Nathan right back with an armdrag takedown into an elbow lock. Ora back up and goes into the ropes, running Nathan over. Nathan back up and hits an arm drag, then another into another elbowlock. Ora gets Nathan in the corner and they leap into some dodges, they go into the ropes and Nethan gets a roll-up for the first fall.

Round Two (1 – 0 Frazer)

Mensah comes out with a clothesline in the corner, takedown and a cover for two. He covers again for two and then grabs Nathan for a suplex. Cover again for two. Nathan chopped against the ropes, he’s whipped across the ring and goes up and over, back in the ring and Mensah kicks him in the head for two.

Mensa grabs Nathan to pull him further into the ring, Frazer lands on his feet and kicks at Ora in the corner. Chop, Ora reverses a whip across the ring, Ora with a slip kick and Jakara distracts the ref, Lash with a kick to Frazer’s head and gets a fall as we go to PIP break.

Round Three (1 – 1 Tie)

We’re back with 40 seconds left and they have a series of pinning sequences. Ora comes off the ropes and his hit with a superkick, Ora goes to over, gets two as the bell rings.

Round Four (1 – 1 Tie)

Frazer with a dropkick into the corner off the bell, Phoenix Splash attempt but Mensah moves and gets an inside cradle for two. Mensah to the apron and springboards into a dropkick, suplex and a nearfall. Ora getabs Frazer for a powerbomb, Frazer counters out and hits a thrust kick to the chest for two-plus. Frazer now climbing up, Ora leaps up and crotches him, then goes for a waistlock but Frazer knocks him down. Ora leaps back up for a German suplex, cover for two.

A minute left in round for and Jakara distracts the ref as Lash attacks, but Yulisa Leon and Vanlentina Feroz take him down. Frazer with the Phoenix Splash and win!

Winner: Nathan Frazer (4:30 into Round Four)
Rating: *** 1/4
Thoughts: Great match with a lot of high-flying and fast action. Ora looked great here, but Frazer was the right choice to get that win. Kinda hurts the Meta-Four as a fresh stable though.

* We get a vignette of Lyra and how close she got to winning the Women’s Title at Battleground, then losing in the battle roayl last week. She says nothing is easy and a true champion overcomes the odds. She’ll keep adapting and evolving, channelling the spirit of the Morrigan.

* Jacy and Elektra are watching from backstage and Jacy doesn’t get what she’s talking about. Elektra says she’s impressive, and Jacy mocks Elektra. Lola Vice comes up and mocks Jacy in response. Jacy leaves and Lola says she doesn’t like many people, but does like Elektra. Elektra says the feeling is mutual.

* Mr. Stone is congratulating Von on his work with the therapist when Dijak comes in and tells Stone to rep a real winner. He walks off, Stone asks if Von has talked to the therapist about the picture. He hasn’t because it’s about who he can trust. Stone asks who he’s gonna trust and Von says it’s him. It’s always been him.

Dabba-Kato vs. Axiom & SCRYPTS

Axiom and SCRYPTS double team Dabba before the bell. But once the bell rings it’s all Dabba, who knocks Axiom down and then slaps a leaping SCRYPTS out of the air. He throws Axiom into SCRYPTS and then starts to batter SCRYPTS. Axiom tags in but Dabba grabs both men by the feet. They fight him off but he picks Axiom up and boots SCRYPTS down.

Axiom with a submission attempt, but Dabba slams him down. He grabs Axiom for a chokeslam, Axiom flips out of it and hits an enzuigiri. SCRYPTS tags in and lays into Dabba, off the ropes and a spinning hip smash knocks Dabba out of the ring. SCRYPTS dives onto Dabba and tags in Axiom who dives. SCRYPTS tries again but Dabba up on the apron to grab SCRYPTS for the goozle.

Axiom tags in and tosses SCRYPTS onto Dabba. He leaps off the top onto Dabba! Back in the ring, SCRYPTS with a moonsault. Axiom is lying in wait, he hits the Golden Ratio for three.

Winner: Axiom & SCRYPTS (3:17)
Rating: **
Thoughts: Too short and rushed, and a win by Axiom and SCRYPTS does little for them here. All it does is hurt Dabba-Kato.

After the bell, HUmberto Carrillo and Garza run in in street clothes and attack! They tack out Axiom and SCRYPTS and pose tall.

* We get a recap of Rollins accepting Bron’s challenge from earlier tonight.

* Wee Lee defends the NA Title against Tyler Bate next week, and Thea Hail gets her Women’s Title shot in two weeks.

* Stacks is running through his corkboard of potential suspects and says it has to be Gallus. At Stand & Deliver, Gallus knew they were going to win but they got screwed by Joe Coffey. And Gallus took Tony D out before NXT Battleground. So he has to get Tony out of prison and get their title match. He’ll show he can make the big moves.

* DUke is proud of Thea backstage for standing up for herself, training with Drew & Dempsey, winning the battle royal and beating Cora. He says Duke will beat Tiffany in two weeks’ time and is holding a pep rally for her next week.

Tiffany walks up and says that in this story, the underdog doesn’t win. Toodles! Drew and Dempsey walk in incensed about the pep rally and says they need to get back in the ring. Thea says she’ll see them in the training ring later.

Malik Blade vs. Edris Enofe

Lock up to start, they jockey for position and Edris gets backed into a corner. They smack each other as Tank & Hank walk out to watch, Edris runs over Malik but they go into the ropes and Edris gets rolled up for two. Briggs & Brooks are out here too. Into the ropes, Blade with a dropkick and Edris rolls tothe apron.

Malik nails Edris and then leaps over for a sunset flip powerbomb, but Edris holds on and nails Malik. Edris to the floor and takes out Blade, back in the ring and he dives but Malik moves! Malik in and dives onto Edris.

Malik rolls Edris into the ring and goes up top, Edris nails him and climbs up. Superplex and cover, Edris reverses and gets the three.

Winner: Malik Blade (2:44)
Rating: N/A
Thoughts: It was what it was. Nothing special due to the time it got.

After the match, Edris says he knows Malik’s birthday is April 27th and they embrace with the other two teams in the ring. Booker T then interrupts and says he has breaking news. Next week, all three teams will be in a triple threat match and the winner gets an NXT Tag Team Championship match.

Humberto and Garza are watching and the three teams brawl. HUmberto and Gaza say they want it in the tag team division here.

* Damon Kemp is yelling at the ref for miscalling the finish of last week’s match. Eddy Thorpe walks in and asks if he’s picking fights with refs. Kemp says it was a cheap victory. Eddy says tell him the match they want and they’ll run it back. Damon says he’ll think about it.

* We get a vignette from Blair Davenport in which she says in the parking lot and the building, she derailed the future. Nikkita Lyons, a threat to the Women’s Title but not to her anymore. Wendy Choo, a locker room leader now only able to guide from home. And Sol Ruca, one of the fastest-rising superstars that she took out. And now her road to the top is easier and the women are willing to do anything to get on her good side. She says Roxy got lucky, but her savagery is boundless.

Roxanne Perez vs. Tatum Paxley

Paxley knocks Roxy down, but Roxy recovers for a roll-up and one-count. Roxy knocks Tatum down and rolls her up again for two, then goes into a headlock. Airplane headscissors takedown, she pushes Paxley into the ropes but Tatum with a throat shot and a takedown for two.

Paxley runs Roxy over and goes into a Boston crab.Roxy rolls through it for a roll-up for two. Roxy battles back but gets dropped with a sketchy full nelson facebuster for two. Paxley kicks at the leg and goes back to the Boston crab but Roxy counters into a cover for two.

Roxy with shots and gets sent into the ropes, springboard Thesz press and mounted punches. Tatum escapes and goes to the outside, Roxy dives on her! Back in the ring, charging uppercut in the corner by Roxy. SHe goes for a Russian legsweep but Tatum slams her down by the hair. Roxy goes for Pop Rocks, Tatum counters but Roxy with the roll-up for three.

Winner: Roxanne Perez (3:25)
Rating: ** 1/4
Thoughts: Barely more than a squash. They tried hard but were trying to do too much in too short a time.

Roxy gets a mic and calls out Blair, saying she put a dent in the division and struck fear into the women’s division. But she’s not afraid and Blair can keep hunting her, but she’s hunting for Blair. That’s not a threat; it’s a damn promise.

* Gigi is walking the battle royal from last week and Fallon walks in, saying Kiana is a pain in the ass. Gigi can’t stand Kiana’s stuck up entitled elitist ass. They commiserate and Gigi says Kiana fears what she can’t understand. Fallon says Kiana is a snake and walks off. Gigi says she’ll make sure Kiana understands why you don’t mess with a reject.

* We get a vignette for new stars Lucian Price and Bronco Nima. They say NXT isn’t ready for them.

NXT Championship #1 Contender’s Match
Baron Corbin vs. Ilja Dragunov

Lock up to start, Corbin with a shot to the ribs and then one to the back. Corbin off the ropes to run Ilja over, then plays to the crowd. Ilja back up and kicks Corbin in the head, then backs him in the corner for punches. He sends Corbin to another corner and lays into him, then goes for the third corner but Corbin turns it around and chops Ilja’s chest.

Ilja returns the favor and chops Corbin’s chest off, then hits more chops to take Corbin down. He picks Corbin up but gets hung on the ropes, Corbin with a clothesline. Corbin now stomping at the ribs and picks Ilja up for a short-arm clothesline.

Corbin grabs Ilja for another clothesline but Ilja ducks and hits a German suplex and another, third one blocks as Corbin grabs the ropes and hits a back elbow. Ilja thrown into the ropes but Ilja with the Constantine special as we go to PIP break.

We’re back as Ilja has Corbin in a chinlock to wear him down. Corbin gets to his feet, Ilja transitions to a headlock but Corbin with a back elbow and then throws Ilja over the top. Corbin out of the ring and hits a uranage onto the apron, then lays in elbows to the injured side. Ilja to his feet in the ring but Corbin trips him and pulls him to the floor, then slams him into the boot for more elbows to the side. Ilja sent face-first into the side of the ring.

Corbin rolls Ilja into the ring and follows in. He stomps at Ilja and then locks in a crossface with a knee in the back. Ilja gets to his feet and powers out, he lays in e4lbows but gets grabbed by the throat into a backbreaker for two.

Corbin grabs Ilja and puts him in the corner, whipping him hard across the ring. Corbin sets Ilja in the corner and goes to whip him across again, Ilja kind of blocks with his foot and battles with Corbin, going up top but gets knocked won. Corbin slams Ilja down with a DVD for two.

Corbin grabs Ilja and pushes him into the ropes for a kidney shot, then does it again for good measure. He goes for one more time, but Ilja battles back and they start to trade shots. Corbin with a shot to the ribs, Ilja charges into the G6 and Corbin covers for a nearfall.

Corbin goes for End of Days but Ilja flips through and lays in kicks, he knocks Corbin down. Corbin back up in the corner, Ilja charges in for a knee and knocks him down. Top rope kneedrop, he goes back up top for a BIG senton! Ilja is in pain too, he goes to grab Corbin and Corbin with a throat thrust. SLam countered into a DDT by Ilja. Suplex by Ilja! He hits a fistdrop and is back up, taking aim… he charges in but Bron is in and takes it. End of Days finishes it.

Winner: Baron Corbin (13:10)
Rating: *** 1/4
Thoughts: Great match here that put Dragunov over despite the loss. Corbin’s run in NXT has been solid so far and he should make a good opponent for Melo. I have no complaints here.

Bron attacks Ilja after the match and they brawl to the back while Melo attacks Corbin in the ring and takes him down with a springboard shot. Nothing But Net to Corbin! Melo poses with the title over Corbin.

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

7.5

The final score: review Good

The 411

Very solid episode of NXT this week. I've said this many times, but the show is generally better when it is doing a hard sell for a themed episode and that was the case this week. They could still try not to do quite so much in one episode; some of these matches could use more time to breathe. But all in all the talent delivered and we had a few very nice matches, making for a fun episode that built the hype for next week.