Drew Gulak vs Lio Rush-NXT Cruiserweight Championship
205 Live has officially been absorbed into NXT; no complaints from me. This was a very well thought out match and a great opening bout for the show. I am a little annoyed that Gulak carried the title just to lose it to Rush a week or after his return, but that’s a very minor complaint.
Winner: Lio Rush
Grade: B+
Rhea Ripley vs Aliyah
Poor Aliyah. She’s gonna be NXT’s ragdoll forever. Fantastic squash and promo from Ripley!
Winner: Rhea Ripley
Not Graded
Tyler Breeze and Fandango vs Steve Cutler and Wesley Blake
So actually Breeze and Dango were supposed to take on Ever-Rise but the Forgotten Sons made that a no-go. This match was a little short, but it helped to re-establish the Sons.
Winner: Steve Cutler and Wesley Blake
Grade: C+
Bask in his glory
Keith Lee cut a pretty great promo on Dominic Dijakovic. This battle of monsters is continuing and I’m definitely here for it!
Grade: B
Cameron Grimes vs Boa
Another squash match for Grimes. It was decidedly okay, with intrigue coming in the form of a Killian Dain attack.
Winner: Cameron Grimes
Not Graded
Live in infamy
Damian Priest’s promo on Pete Dunne was pretty good. I wasn’t feeling his blindsided attack last week but now that it’s had some time to simmer, I think this could be a good non-title program for the two of them.
Not Graded
Roderick Strong vs Isaiah Scott
This was a fantastic match! Both Strong and Scott really delivered here. Strong thrives in these long-ish matches as it gives him the time to reach into his bag of tricks. This was also a new matchup with a talent new to the brand and that type of refreshment is always enjoyable.
Winner: Roderick Strong
Grade: B+
Undisputed Era vs Everyone
A lot happened in these segments following the Strong-Scott match, including Adam Cole’s promo on the returns of Finn Balor and Tommaso Ciampa, Velveteen Dream issuing a rematch challenge to Roderick Strong while making some size jokes, and Ciampa letting Goldie know that he’s home.
I enjoyed all of this immensely. Even more, I enjoyed that it flowed so well. Even though there were about three separate storylines happening at once, it didn’t seem choppy or as if one was overshadowing the others.
Grade: A
Bianca Belair vs Dakota Kai
The match itself was great. Kai is not letting that injury derail her in-ring work at all. And Belair’s little tirade against Ripley was pretty good too. However, I don’t think Belair should’ve won this match. She’s already quite established and has had several attempts at the title. Kai, having just gotten back and also having the grounds for a feud with Shayna Baszler, should have won this match in my opinion.
Winner: Bianca Belair
Grade: B-
The replies
Both Dijakovic and Dunne had great replies to the promos given by their opponents earlier in the episode. Both hyped up the respective feuds and I am looking forward to the matches next week.
Grade: B
Walter vs Kushida
The opening few minutes of this match were a little…iffy. But, once these two found their rhythm and the match kicked into high gear, it was epic! I was 1000% sure Walter was going to break Kushida’s sternum, that’s how vicious those chops are. Minus the awkward beginning, this was a fantastic main event match.
Winner: Walter
Grade: A-
Final Thoughts
It’s taken a couple of weeks but I think NXT has figured out its groove utilizing two hours of programming. There’s more time for segments that aren’t just short interviews and video packages and I think the talent and producers are taking advantage of that.
Overall Grade: B
