WWE NXT Heatwave Review - July 7, 2024

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Pre-Show: Karmen Petrovic and Arianna Grace def. Jacy Jane and Jazmyn Nyx

When this was announced earlier this week on NXT, I wasn't sure if it was slated for the pre-show or not, but I'm glad it was because it was easily the weakest match of the night. That isn't to say it was terrible, but it felt like something you'd see on Level Up or any ordinary edition of NXT TV. What we got was decent, but keeping it on the shorter side was smart. Petrovic and Grace aren't regular partners, but it was cool that they got their moment in their native Canada.

NXT North American Champion Oba Femi def. Wes Lee in a Last Chance Match

Per the stipulation, Lee can now no longer challenge for the title as long as Femi is champion. It felt like they weren't on the same page early on as some spots didn't look the smoothest, but once they found their footing, they had a very fun match. Femi continues to make great strides and Lee was the perfect opponent for him, especially when it came to showing off his dominant offense. I'm not sure where Lee goes from here, but as I've said several times, I'd like to see him involved in a one-off Rascalz reunion before he presumably moves to the main roster.

NXT Women's North American Champion Kelani Jordan def. Sol Ruca

Both Jordan and Ruca are still early on in their development, so I was really impressed by what they were able to pull off here. Yes, a lot of it was gymnastics-based stuff without much psychology, but isn't that a majority of what wrestling is nowadays? They both had strong showings and it was an enjoyable outing. The crowd got into the action, too. Jordan is off to a nice start as champ.

NXT Tag Team Champions Axiom and Nathan Frazer def. Chase U (Andre Chase and Duke Hudson)

The story was that Frazer showed up late to the building but arrived in time for this match. I figured the tension teased between him and Axiom as of late would lead to them losing the tag titles on this show, but I'm happy that didn't happen. I didn't have high hopes for this match because I don't really care for Chase U at the moment, but all four of these guys exceeded my expectations with an excellent match. The crowd was hot down the stretch for the suspenseful nearfalls. This was a blast.

NXT Women's Champion Roxanne Perez def. Lola Vice

You could tell this was hindered by the heel vs. heel dynamic due to the crowd being quiet for most of the match, but they had a quality, well-worked match, regardless. Vice sold an injury throughout and it was what cost her in the end. Plus, she took Perez's finisher multiple times, so she was certainly protected in defeat. I assume Perez will be holding onto the title until Giulia comes in to challenge her and therefore the outcome wasn't in doubt here.

Ethan Page def. Je'Von Evans, Shawn Spears and Trick Williams in a Fatal 4-Way Match to Win the NXT Championship

This was a fantastic Fatal 4-Way match. Much like the rest of this card, the build was standard stuff, but this was way better than I thought it would be. Evans in particular shined and gained a ton from the performance he had here, but everyone came away from it looking good and the crowd was with them every step of the way. Page winning the title was an awesome surprise seeing as how he hasn't been in NXT for more than six weeks. Granted, his reign might be short-lived, but I'm looking forward to seeing what he'll do in the role as I'm confident he'll hold his own and will be a natural fit.

Overall Show

Is it safe to say Heatwave is NXT's best premium live event of 2024 so far? They had an energetic crowd in Toronto and everything on the main card ranged from good to great. Plus, the two hours breezed by. The main event and the tag title match were especially wonderful and it was an entertaining event on the whole. Additionally, Page becoming champ was notable and the Joe Hendry tease at the very end was an exciting cliffhanger for Tuesday's NXT. Heatwave was quite the sleeper show.

SEE MORE: NXT Reviews, NXT PLE Reviews