Kevin’s WWE NXT Review 6.1.21

WWE NXT

June 1st, 2021 | Capitol Wrestling Center in Orlando, Florida

Happy Pride Month everyone!

NXT Title No. 1 Contender’s Match: Johnny Gargano vs. Kyle O’Reilly vs. Pete Dunne

This was the big selling point of the episode. Three of the company’s best wrestlers competing for a shot at the top championship. It has been forgotten by a lot of fans but Dunne/Ricochet/Cole a few years ago on NXT TV was fantastic. This mostly got off to a similar start, with quick moving action from guys who absolutely know what they’re doing. Some of the running spots in the corner had to be tough to nail. They were given a lot of time, including going through a commercial break. Dunne was the one guy who felt like he had control for a prolonged period of time, helping to sell him as the most dangerous guy in NXT. I dug Dunne holding the tights to bock a Kimura or Johnny being a sneaky little shit as it all played into their characters. The closing stretch was wild, with these dudes throwing bombs at each other and racking up the near falls and close calls. Alas, it all led to Adam Cole interfering and attacking everyone, including the referee. There’s no DQ in this kind of match but it still ended in a no contest after around 18:00, which is a damn shame. The match was a lot of fun but this feels like lazy booking. [***½]

William Regal and security took Adam Cole away.

After a break, as they took Cole to the back, Ember Moon walked past them with a purpose. She called out Raquel Gonzalez for what she did to Shotzi Blackheart last week. The champion hit the ring and they had a small brawl before Regal and security broke this up too. They’re having a busy night. As they dealt with Raquel, Dakota Kai ran in and jumped Ember from behind, sending her out of the ring. Dakota looked like a solid 10/10 here.

Legado del Fantasma cut a promo where Santos basically gave them a pep talk ahead of their Tag Team Title match.

Earlier today, Hit Row Records arrived and dissed Ever-Rise and Drake Maverick for being the jokes of NXT. Killian Dain interrupted and it set up a tag bout.

Jake Atlas vs. LA Knight

Not the first time these two met this year. Knight got to talk smack during his entrance again. As this went on in relatively even fashion, Ted DiBiase strolled out for a closer look. Knight pandered to him with things like a fist drop. The match itself was decent but the focus was on the shenanigans outside as Cameron Grimes also showed up to talk with Ted DiBiase. That allowed Atlas to get going and score some near falls. Atlas got the win with the cartwheel DDT after 12:33. YAASSS! THE GAYS WINNING TO START PRIDE MONTH AND I AM HERE FOR IT! [**½]

Everyone checked on the opening match competitors in the trainer’s room. Oney Lorcan and Austin Theory got into a shoving match when they said Dunne and Gargano were about to win.

DiBiase was interviewed and said Grimes impressed him more than Knight Adam Cole walked past him as it headed to break.

In the ring, Cole says that he became NXT Champion two years ago to the day. He took out main event stars in just a few minutes and he wants his title back, especially from the musclehead that is Karrion Kross. He also called him overrated. Where’s the lie, though? Cue Kross coming out to say that the moment he signed with NXT, Cole was no longer special. Cole called him “Mr. Overrated” again. He said Kross ain’t Adam Cole and said NXT did everything to make Kross feel special. Music, fog, and the girl. To make Cole special, they just ring the bell. It’s official, I must write Cole’s promos because I’ve been saying for a year that Kross is nothing more than an overproduced entrance. Regal interrupted but Kross told him to shut up and said he wanted all of the opponents at TakeOver. A fine segment but the booking continues to baffle.

Candice LeRae was interviewed and got annoyed at the discussion being about Karrion Kross (who she correctly called an idiot) and Poppy returning next week. She also got upset that Indi Hartwell was listening to ‘80s love ballads in her headphones.

A weird video aired that showed Tian Sha was targeting Mercedes Martinez next.

Backstage, Dexter Lumis picked up Indi’s headphones to listen to her ballads and had a tear coming down his face.

NXT Cruiserweight Championship: KUSHIDA [c] vs. Carmelo Hayes

We got a video of Hayes, who was formerly known as Christian Casanova. He answered the open challenge. He got a notable entrances too, showing they have high hopes for him. Right off the bat, it’s clear that he’s pretty skilled. He and KUSHIDA match each other in several exchanges, proving that Hayes could hang with some of the best. He busted out a pretty interesting springboard leg drop heading into the commercial break. Returning, Hayes kept it going but once KUSHIDA really got going, he seemed to be too much for him. KUSHIDA was able to counter his best attempts at stuff but Hayes also still showed that he had some hope spots. A springboard led to a fastball punch and KUSHIDA kicked the arm before winning with the Hoverboard Lock in 10:58. That was a really good way to make Hayes look good in his debut while giving KUSHIDA a quality title defense. [***¼]

Post-match, the two men shook hands.

Franky Monet had a fun backstage segment with stylists and she put herself over.

Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell vs. Zayda Ramier and Zoey Stark

Non-title action here. I like the idea of Stark and Ramier giving the division another team, especially seeing what the main roster has done to its division. This was mostly straightforward and the champions won when Wicked Stepsister was followed by Pretty Savage in 3:37. Just what it needed to be. [NR]

Mercedes Martinez cut a promo in the back about how Xia Li is different from who she faced in the Mae Young Classic but she’s also different and she’ll take her out at TakeOver. Not a match I was thinking would be booked on TakeOver. Grimes/Knight is also confirmed.

The Diamond Mine is opening soon.

Ember Moon was interviewed and said she’d take out Dakota Kai next week before facing Raquel at TakeOver.

NXT Tag Team Championship: MSK [c] vs. Legado Del Fantasma

Santos was out with his boys. Given the duos involved, it should come as no surprise that this was ridiculously fast paced. These teams don’t seem to know how to work at a slower pace and it suits them. Wes Lee became the babyface in peril through a commercial break, with Legado showcasing quality tag moves and some great chemistry. They were in complete control. Carter got the hot tag and did his thing for a bit but he oddly tagged back out. A blind tag to Mendoza set up a springboard dropkick. Again, they were in control, especially in terms of isolating Lee. However, he was able to kick out of everything they threw at him. When Escobar got involved, Bronson Reed showed up and ran him over. That opened the door for MSK to hit their finisher on Wilde and retain in 15:26. A very good main event that continued to showcase how talented this roster is. [***½]

7.5

The final score: review Good

The 411

There was a lot I liked about this episode. It had some really cool things like how the first half felt like anything could happen. There were also some really good matches and a few good segments. I do think there are several booking issues that I question but I enjoyed this again.