WWE NXT Battleground Review - June 9, 2024

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Kelani Jordan def. Fallon Henley, Jaida Parker, Michin, Sol Ruca and Lash Legend in a Ladder Match to Become the Inaugural NXT Women's North American Champion

I'm numb to Ladder matches at this point because we see so many of them in wrestling nowadays, but this was a good one and the women worked hard. It was certainly a risk with so many of these competitors being inexperienced, but there weren't any obvious issues with it and there were some cool (but nothing too crazy) spots. Henley was my pick to win, but I can't complain about it being Jordan instead. She's been very impressive since debuting and has a bright future ahead of her.

NXT Tag Team Champions Nathan Frazer and Axiom def. The O.C. (Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows)

There really isn't anything special or interesting about Gallows and Anderson at this point, so it was difficult to care about them contending for the tag titles. I thought they might win with AJ Styles challenging Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship again at Clash at the Castle, but I'm actually happy they didn't. This was a well-worked match and probably The O.C.'s best since returning to WWE, which I realize isn't saying much because the bar's pretty low.

Lola Vice def. Shayna Baszler in an NXT Underground Match

It's a shame they didn't go with a Fight Pit with these two (perhaps they couldn't for logistical reasons?) considering we just saw Vice in an NXT Underground match a few weeks ago on NXT TV. Despite that, it was an enjoyable brawl and I liked that they took their fight to ringside at several points. Baszler simply isn't the threat she once was in NXT, but this was easily the biggest win for Vice to date. I didn't love the way the finish was executed, but that's my only nitpick. Now let's put the NXT Underground gimmick on the shelf for at least six to 12 months before dusting it off again.

NXT North American Champion Oba Femi def. Joe Coffey and Wes Lee in a Triple Threat Match

This wasn't on the same level as the Triple Threat we got for the NXT North American Championship at Stand & Deliver, but it was still entertaining and the three guys had nice chemistry together. Lee is tremendous, Coffey can always be counted on for a quality contest, and Femi is progressing at a rapid rate. There more Gallus interference than I would've liked, but hopefully their backstage attack on Lee later on means Gallus vs. The Rascalz is a real possibility on the horizon.

NXT Women's Champion Roxanne Perez def. TNA Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace (TNA Knockouts World Championship Was Not Defended)

It's still surreal to see a TNA talent in a WWE ring, and the fact it was a top talent from TNA (and an active champion at that) made this even more awesome. Unsurprising, this was a great match. Grace proved she belongs on the WWE stage and Perez always delivers. I wasn't fond of the finish here, either, but I understand they had the shenanigans with Tatum Paxley and TNA's Ash by Elegance (the former Dana Brooke) at ringside because they wanted to protect Grace in defeat. Safe to say Paxley is accepting Grace's Knockouts title open challenge at Against All Odds coming up on Friday, right?

NXT Champion Trick Williams def. Ethan Page

Props to Page for his WWE in-ring debut coming in the main event of an NXT premium live event for the NXT Championship. This didn't end up feeling like a main event from an in-ring standpoint, but they produced an entertaining outing and both guys had solid showings. Page scored plenty of offense and the finish was done in a way where they can resume this rivalry if they want. I'd be fine with that since Williams should be working with seasoned talent if he's going to improve.

Overall Show

This was the first NXT PLE to have any kind of buzz in quite a while, and Grace and Page being on the card had a lot to do with that. This wasn't a super strong show by any means, but it gets a thumbs-up in my book. There was quality wrestling across the card and Grace vs. Perez was the best bout of the night for my money. Nothing newsworthy happened outside of the inaugural NXT Women's North American Champion being crowned, but I was satisfied once it was over. On a side note, the UFC Apex arena didn't look much different than the WWE Performance Center, but it had a sweet vibe and I'd be down for WWE utilizing it again the future.

SEE MORE: NXT Reviews, NXT PLE Reviews