The OC
While I’m still not overly fond of the name as it reminds of the show by the same title, I loved having them open the episode. They didn’t have any music, didn’t come down the ramp, just showed up in Full Sail after whooping up on the Undisputed Era. This, plus their acceptance of a match for later on, really solidified the NXT invasion angle.
Grade: A
Pete Dunne vs Damian Priest
This was a case of 50-50 booking that actually works. The match itself was very good and thus Dunne avenging his loss didn’t seem like a cop-out. There was also the post-match brawl between Dunne and Killian Dain to further that feud so all around this match worked well.
Winner: Pete Dunne
Grade: B+
Taynara Conti vs Santana Garrett
This was…not good. It looked like they were rehearsing the match, not actively competing. The moves were so slow and clunky. I don’t know what happened here but it better not happen again!
Winner: Taynara Conti
Grade: D-
Shayna Baszler vs Dakota Kai
Be still, our Shaykota hearts! This was a really good match and Kai came off as such a babyface. Kai escaping the clutch once only to ultimately fall to it was a great ending as well. Afterwards there was another great brawl with Mia Yim coming in to be the deciding factor.
Winner: Shayna Baszler
Grade: B+
Angel Garza vs Tony Neese
Garza’s been looking like a potential contender for the cruiserweight title. Beating a former champion only adds to his stock. The match itself was great and I like that Garza has been bringing out a little more of his personality, displaying by stepping to the current champion Lio Rush.
Winner: Angel Garza
Grade: B
Gang Gang
Dakota Kai looked so sad when Rhea Ripley picked Mia Yim instead of her for her War Games team. But at the same time…maybe Kai will turn up on Shayna Baszler’s team…do it for the Shaykota.
Grade: A
Dominik Dijakovic vs Isaiah Scott
This was definitely a wild sprint of a match, but I enjoyed it. Dijak is a monster and Scott has some of the most eye-catching offense I’ve seen. Neither guy came away from this match looking bad. Plus, it was a nice little appetizer before the main event that had been established at the top of the show.
Winner: Dominik Dijakovic
Grade: B
Keith Lee, Matt Riddle, and Tommaso Ciampa vs The OC
First off, this match was an awesome main event! I had to get that out of the way. I’m pretty sure we were all expecting the non-finish, but I did like the way it was handled. It definitely added to the Survivor Series and War Games build. I think having the OC on NXT was cool because those three bypassed it altogether and went straight to the main roster. Seeing them at Full Sail was a special occurrence.
Winner: No Contest
Grade: A-
Final Thoughts
I can smell War Games and Survivor Series in the air! This is such a great year for these two events as we’re having a full NXT invasion. You never know who’s going to pop up and get into it. And even the networks are in on it. This is probably going to go down as one of the most fun lead-ups in recent history.
Overall Grade: B+
