WWE NXT Level Up Review - February 17, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Eddy Thorpe def. Dante Chen

Thorpe is the new name for former New Japan Pro-Wrestling star Karl Fredricks. I haven't seen many of his matches, but I've heard he was impressive during his time in NJPW and is a good pickup for WWE. Unlike Jay White, who is an established main event star, Thorpe is someone who makes sense to go to NXT/Level Up first. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary about this and I was surprised it was as short as it was, but Thorpe did well and thankfully he won in his debut.

Xyon Quinn def. Oba Femi

Quinn has quietly settled into a gatekeeper role on Level Up where he'll lose to the stars on the rise but beat the lesser-experienced athletes. Femi is one of those guys who is extremely green but could have potential in time if he can continue to develop. This was perfectly fine for what it was but was a fairly basic bout. Femi needs more seasoning, but Quinn is the right person for him to be working with.

Ivy Nile def. Valentina Feroz

It's ridiculous that Nile has yet to do anything of note. Yes, she's on NXT TV a lot in segments with The Creed Brothers, but she's largely been spinning her wheels in matches on Level Up. She should be facing/beating bigger names at this point because she's gotten quite good. As for Feroz, her storyline with Elektra Lopez so far where Lopez is trying to convince her to cheat has been well done. Lopez showed up here at ringside and once again watched her lose. This was a nice little match with both women having quality showings.

Overall Show

This was a slight step up from your average edition of Level Up. The former Karl Fredricks making his WWE TV debut was certainly notable and he'll be a name to keep an eye on going forward. Quinn vs. Femi was passable and I enjoyed the main event while it lasted. We don't typically get storyline stuff on this show, but we did during Nile vs. Feroz, which was refreshing. This was one of the better uses of the Level Up formula with a little bit of everything.

SEE MORE: NXT Level Up Reviews