WWE NXT Level Up Review - December 8, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Brooks Jensen def. Dion Lennox

Jensen is the odd man out at Deadline with both Josh Briggs and Fallon Henley qualifying for the Iron Survivor Challenge matches. Jensen is easily the "weak link" of the group, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's bad. He's competent in the ring and was able to carry Lennox to a decent match. This marked Lennox's debut and I thought he did perfectly fine, but we'll see if they intend to use him again soon or if he'll be another one of the developmental recruits who disappears after one match.

Gigi Dolin def. Jaida Parker

Parker previously debuted in the NXT Women's Breakout Tournament. She's the latest athlete to transition to wrestling and it's all a matter of how she progresses. She had a passable performance here and putting her up against experienced opponents will help in the long run. That said, I haven't seen too many great matches from Dolin in recent months, so this was only a basic bout and nothing more. Dolin winning that Weaponized Steel Cage match against Jacy Jane earlier this year obviously amounted to nothing.

Drew Gulak and Charlie Dempsey def. Edris Enofe and Malik Blade

​Enofe and Blade are a talented team, but they just can't escape being a pair of stepping stones for other teams in the division. Level Up is where they've resided for a majority of 2023 and that's a shame considering the momentum they were able to build up last year. This was good stuff from these two tandems as they made the most of their time and worked well together. I hope Dempsey, Damon Kemp and Myles Borne are learning a lot from Gulak.

Overall Show

This was par for the course for Level Up. Jensen and Dolin picked up showcase wins and their opponents showed signs of potential. The main event was obviously the best bout of the night and that made this episode worthwhile. They're doing a nice job with the newer names, but they need constant reps in order to improve. I feel like we see someone debut every other week before they aren't seen again for weeks on end.

SEE MORE: NXT Level Up Reviews