Pantoja’s NXT Vengeance Day 2022 Review

NXT Vengeance Day

February 15th, 2022 | Capitol Wrestling Center in Orlando, Florida

Okay, so I forgot to record this show. That means I’m watching the version on Hulu which is only an hour long. It seems like every match is included but I’m guessing some things are cut shorter and some backstage segments aren’t included.

We start with clips of Toxic Attraction texting each other about Valentine’s Day and this show. I’ll never be mad at Gigi in lingerie and Mandy in a bikini.

Steel Cage Match: Pete Dunne vs. Tony D’Angelo

Oh, there are weapons in the cage. The feud hasn’t exactly been the hottest thing around though. Considering it started at War Games though, this feels like a fitting end. There was potential here but I feel like this kind of missed at points. They got redundant with some of the weapon usage but had cool spots in there like the suplex off the cage, using the wrench as a weapon, and the table spot. I had some issues late as they had D’Angelo kick out of the Bitter End. I just want protected finishers, especially in undercard matches. Dunne also survived Tony’s biggest move. I did like the idea of having Dunne get his hands zip-tied together, which made for some interesting situations. Dunne eventually used a crowbar and a second Bitter End to win in 9:53. There were some highlights but also some major things holding it back. [***]

Hulu commercials will be the death of me though it’s hard to beat that Disney+ bundle.

NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship: Toxic Attraction [c] vs. Indi Hartwell and Persia Pirotta

So Hulu cut out Toxic Attraction’s entrance and I want my refund. The teams started by brawling before the bell and once it actually got going, the champs took over with help from Mandy Rose’s interference. She got caught and ejected though. Persia got a mild tag and had the highlight of the match when she hoisted both Toxic Attraction women on her shoulders for a move. Alas, a lot of what these girls were doing came off sloppily and most of this just didn’t really work for me. The division is way too thin for Tag Titles. Even when it wasn’t, they should’ve just further built the main roster belts by having them defended consistently on NXT. Jayne tripped up Indi on a springboard (it looked like she missed) and then a big boot ended things in 7:49. Disappointing but I still do like Toxic Attraction. I also wish we had actual friendship development for the challengers rather than just telling us that they were friends. [*½]

Judging by other reviews, it looks like several segments were indeed cut here but I’m not mad about it.

NXT North American Championship: Carmelo Hayes [c] vs. Cameron Grimes

The match I was looking forward to the most on the show. Say what you will about NXT 2.0 but Carmelo Hayes is a goddamn star. He carries himself like one and he feels like someone you need to see whenever he’s out there. Grimes isn’t working quite as well for me as he did during the early TO THE MOON days but he’s still very good. I liked how this started, with Hayes doing things like stomping in the idea of TO THE MOON and really heeling it up. They also included some really good back and forth exchanges to add to it all. Following a commercial break, the pace picked up and the guys started throwing bombs at each other. The closing stretch saw a superkick, reverse rana, high crossbody, and a crossface. Grimes rolled out of the submission but got caught with the guillotine leg drop, ending this after a great 15:55. Certainly the best thing on the show so far and another shining example of how great Hayes is. Grimes was also very good here. [****]

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Finals: The Creed Brothers vs. MSK

Since arriving in NXT, MSK has done nothing but put on good matches. They should be in the conversation for the best tag team around. Alas, being in NXT and part of their weak tag division leads to them getting overlooked. I’m glad they didn’t cut out Diamond Mine’s entrance where Bivens had a John Cena NEVER GIVE UP towel, only to turn it around and have it say NAH, YOU SHOULD. The idea early on was that the Creeds were the mat guys while MSK could take to the skies. It worked well enough. MSK would get in a huge dive and the Creed Brothers would respond with a big slam or something technical. MSK was in trouble going into the commercial break but Lee got the hot tag and cleaned house. MSK is a great hot tag duo. In the end, Julius got left alone with Carter and beat him with a sliding lariat in 9:36. That was a quality match as the Creeds keep improving, though you can tell they’re still not quite there yet. The right call for them to win though. [***]

NXT Championship: Bron Breakker [c] vs. Santos Escobar

Santos had some pretty sick Eddie Guerrero-themed gear. Here, we had a battle of strength against speed. Bron could overpower Santos but he’d come back with a dropkick or snap off something quick. It’s an ideal setup for a guy with raw talent like Bron and a veteran like Santos. With a distraction from Legado del Fantasma, Santos hit a tope suicida and took control. The fans were surprisingly kind of split for this. Some trash talk managed to get Bron going as he began throwing bombs only for Dolph Ziggler to show up in the chaos and superkick him. Tommaso Ciampa arrived to send him packing. It’s like that never happened as Bron was back up and he hit a Spear followed by the press slam to retain in 12:02. A good main event that played to the strengths of the guys involved. [***¼]

7.0

The final score: review Good

The 411

That was an enjoyable event. The only lame match was the Tag Titles, while everything else hovered around being good, and one thing was great. Also, the Hulu version only being an hour made this fly by.