Velveteen Dream vs Bobby Fish
Bobby Fish really made this match work. Dream is great when he has a crowd to work or some other way to ooze that charisma he has. With the empty arena, he kind of suffers because now you can see the areas where he isn’t as strong. Even Dream’s post-match promo on Adam Cole wasn’t the usual Dream quality. The match was solid (maybe a tad long), but we have Fish to thank for that.
Winner: Velveteen Dream
Grade: C
Dexter Lumis vs Jake Atlas
I absolutely hate when wrestlers that are hyped up as a big deal lose their television debuts. To me, it completely negates the prior hype.
Winner: Dexter Lumis
Grade: C-
Aliyah vs Dakota Kai vs Deonna Purrazzo vs Kayden Carder vs Shotzi Blackheart vs Xia Li-Second Chance Gauntlet
Gauntlet matches can be hit or miss and while this wasn’t a top tier gauntlet, it was still pretty good. I liked the mix of women involved and everyone was working hard. I feel like having Kai come out on top was the best choice because now her and Tegan Nox can go absolutely ham on each other in the ladder match.
Winner: Dakota Kai
Grade: B-
Kushida vs Joaquin Wilde
This match, although fairly good, felt like it existed just to fill in the time between the Gauntlet match and the main event. It stayed at the same level all throughout. It’s weird that Kushida is kind of stuck in the middle. He was so hot when he came in and now he’s just another directionless body.
Also, security is terrible at the Performance Center because Wilde got kidnapped after this match.
Winner: Kushida
Grade: C
Keith Lee vs Damian Priest vs Dominik Dijakovic-North American Championship
This match was a little chaotic. Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy it and the three of them delivered a fun match. But there were some awkward (for lack of a better word) spots. It seemed like maybe not all parties had agreed on what was to happen in the match. It also never shifted into the high gear we came to expect in previous Dijakovic-Lee matches.
Winner: Keith Lee
Grade: B
Final Thoughts
NXT still feels somewhat random with what they want to put on television. Half the show is furthering the current storylines and the other half just exists. I am glad we’re getting the Takeover matches on television since Takeover was cancelled, even though they have to be spread over a few weeks. I won’t complain too much though because everyone involved is doing their best to provide us with something in the midst of this pandemic.
Overall Grade: C
