 NXT Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton def. Thea HailGiven the level of inexperience of these two, I was impressed by how solid this match was. Granted, it wasn't a barn burner by any means, but both women held their own and I liked their dynamic. Hail was made to look credible in defeat and hopefully she'll get more title opportunities down the road. Drew Gulak and Charlie Dempsey wanted her to cheat and she refused, which led to her loss. Andre Chase returned afterward to save Duke Hudson from them, so that tag team match is clearly coming. NXT Tag Team Champions Gallus (Mark Coffey and Wolfgang) def. Edris Enofe and Malik BladeEnofe and Blade getting back in the title picture was a refreshing change of pace, but I don't think this crowd saw them as legitimate threats to the titles. That said, they had an impressive performance and it was a quality contest (aside from that unfortunate botch from Enofe toward the end). Channing Lornezo cost the babyfaces the win and we found out later on that he was responsible for putting Tony D'Angelo behind bars. I don't know what he had to do with these two teams unless he made some sort of a deal with Joe Gacy to help Gallus retain. Diamond Mine Interrupted SchismThis was basically a Schism "intervention" with Joe Gacy and Ava addressing all of their recent losses and scolding The Dyad. Rip Fowler went briefly went back into Zack Gibson mode while talking, while Jagger Reid came off like his James Drake perona with the way he spoke and dressed. This led to The Dyad vs. Creed Brothers being made official for next week with a Losers Leave NXT stipulation. You'd think it'd lead The Grizzled Young Veterans finally being written off NXT TV, but I wouldn't be so sure since Creed Brothers are due a main roster call-up and this could be how it happens. All in all, an intriguing segment, and I don't say that about a lot of what Schism is involved in. NXT Heritage Cup Champion Nathan Frazer def. Dragon LeeI believe it was Frazer who Lee beat in his singles NXT TV debut a few months back, so it made sense for Frazer to avenge that loss here now that he's Heritage Cup champ. I typically don't care for the Heritage Cup matches because of the format and start-and-stop rules, but this was quite fun. My only complaint is that Lee has done a lot of losing since coming to NXT and I hope he can start getting some spotlight of his own soon. Gigi Dolin def. Kiana JamesThis was easily the most inconsequential match on the show. That isn't to say it was bad, but the setup wasn't strong and the crowd was quiet. It just felt out of place on a special stacked with title matches, though I realize it was supposed to act as a comedown match before the main event. This was decent, but I can't say it left me looking forward to more matches between them. What was the significance of the orange and blue paint James dumped on Dolin afterward? NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes def. Baron CorbinFinally! Corbin brought back his Lone Wolf persona, complete with his original NXT entrance theme. Brings back memories of those short squashes he used to have on NXT TV back in the day. Not to romanticize the character, but it did happen at a time when black-and-gold NXT was really finding its grove. At any rate, this was a very entertaining main event. They had great chemistry as I thought they would, Hayes sold well for Corbin's offense, and it was the most motivated Corbin has looked in a while. This is probably it for Corbin in NXT, but wherever he shows up next, fingers crossed he brings The Lone Wolf with him. Overall ShowI thought this was one of the best special editions of NXT in recent memory. Maybe I'm in the minority, but I really liked it. We had notable storyline developments with Lorenzo turning heel and Bron Breakker storming out of Shawn Michaels' office at the end, obviously in addition to the four title matches that were all good to great. Even Rhea Ripley showed up to taunt Hayes backstage at one point. Several matches were hyped for next week as well, including the return of Raw Underground for Eddy Thorpe vs. Damon Kemp and I'm curious to see how that will play out. Now we wait and see what NXT has in store for The Great American Bash coming up in late July.
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