 Candice LeRae def. Kay Lee RayRay vs. LeRae? Please tell me that was done on purpose. In all seriousness, this was an enjoyable outing that was given a solid chunk of time. I realize these matches don't matter much, but I was slightly surprised LeRae went over, just because she isn't doing anything in NXT at the moment whereas Ray recently debuted in NXT UK and is in the midst of a push. Piper Niven def. Zelina VegaAll right, so the outcome was never once in doubt, but this was still fun while it lasted. Vega is great at being a slimy heel and trying to dodge her opponent's offense. She used Niven's size against her at various points, but it wasn't enough to earn her the victory. Niven debuted in NXT UK earlier this month, yet I already have a good feeling about her future on the brand.
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 Tyler Bate def. The Brian KendrickThis match was the perfect mix of comedy and action with Bate and Kendrick working extremely well together. Their similar styles engaged the crowd and made for a very enjoyable outing to kick off the show. I actually had the chance to see parts of this in person while at WrestleMania Axxess that Friday. Sometimes I think people sleep on Kendrick and how good he actually is since he isn't on 205 Live all that often nowadays, but matches such as this one serve as a reminder of his skills. Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews def. Mike Kanellis and Ariya DaivariI was worried that this wouldn't be all that interesting based off the involvement of Daivari and Kanellis and how I figured they wouldn't have much chemistry as a tandem, and although that was true to an extent, Webster and Andrews are an exciting enough duo that they were able to carry them to a solid match. This had a nice pace, but the flashy offense from Webster and Andrews was what really stood out to me.
 Kassius Ohno def. Aiden EnglishI honestly forgot English was still an active competitor. To my knowledge, he hasn't wrestled a single match since he joined 205 Live commentary earlier this year, but I guess he's still technically a member of the SmackDown Live roster. I'm sure these two crossed paths at some point in the early days of NXT. I was glad that this was this shortest of all the matches on this show because it wasn't all that interesting. Ohno making a crack about how the fans were cheering for a commentator was funny, though. Luke Harper def. Dominik DijakovicDijakovic and Harper have been hyping up this encounter for weeks and it did not disappoint. What I wanted more than anything else was for them to get the time they deserved, and thankfully, that ended up being the case. It definitely felt like both guys went out there with something to prove and put it all on the line in an effort to leave a lasting impression and they surely did just that. This was a very fun and hard-hitting affair where the crowd was engaged in the action the entire time. Harper looked beyond happy to be back in the ring, which is why it's such a shame he was treated like an afterthought in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal days later. Here's hoping he'll receive some direction coming out of this week's Superstar Shake-up.
 Jordan Devlin Won a 15-Man Tri-Branded Battle RoyalThe winner of this Battle Royal received an automatic bye into the quarterfinals. Furthermore, it was cool that the order of eliminations actually determined what the brackets would look like. Thus, that made things a bit more interesting, and it's always cool to see talent from different brands in the same place at the same time. No one brand was more dominant than the others and it was a pretty par-for-the-course Battle Royal on the whole. I liked how Devlin furthered his feud with Travis Banks halfway through by attacking him at ringside and the interaction between Keith Lee and Dominik Dijakovic was fun while it lasted (give those guys 15 minutes and watch them kill it). The final four with Devlin, Velveteen Dream, Tony Nese and TJP was well done and Devlin was the right choice to go over. Humberto Carrillo def. NXT UK Tag Team Champion Zack Gibson in a First Round MatchWe haven't seen too much of Carrillo so far, but between NXT and 205 Live, he has impressed me every time he's been in action and this was no exception. Gibson was a fantastic foil for him, and despite having two very different styles, they worked well together and produced a nice little match. This had to be considered an upset given Gibson is one-half of the NXT UK Tag Team Champions while Carrillo is still a relatively fresh face.
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