WWE NXT Level Up Review - February 18, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Harland def. Javier Bernal

Bernal only has one televised match under his belt from a few weeks ago on 205 Live when he lost to Draco Anthony. I didn't think he was going to have much luck here, either. This was all about establishing Harland's dominance, and outside of Bernal getting a few strikes in, this was a straightforward squash for Harland. As I've said before, the Joe Gacy and Harland act has grown on me slightly, but they need to find some direction.

Ivy Nile and Tatum Paxley def. Fallon Henley and Kayla Inlay

I don't know about Henley and Inlay, but Malcolm Bivens confirmed on social media on Thursday that Nile and Paxley will be teaming up in the women's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Nile didn't appear to be too thrilled to have her as a partner, so we'll see if Paxley sticks as a member of Diamond Mine. Henley and Inlay were fine (though they need to stop the stupid dancing and head-bobbing during their entrance), but this was mostly about giving Nile and Paxley some shine and a win to boost their credibility.

Edris Enofe def. Kushida

Enofe has shown signs of potential from what we've seen from him in the ring. I just wish he got more character development beyond his odd obsession with Mandy Rose. Kushida was the perfect opponent for him because he's so damn good and they made the most of the time they had by having an enjoyable sprint. It was a quality main event for the debut of this new show (even though it's the same thing 205 Live was toward the end). Kushida losing was quite surprising, though. I'm all for Enofe getting pushed, but I wouldn't have it come at the expense of Kushida, who hasn't meant less so far in NXT. I get the feeling his days in the company might be numbered.

Overall Show

It's about damn time 205 Live was replaced by NXT's version of Dark, er, I mean, NXT Level Up. The graphics look cool and it's a much-needed fresh coat of paint for the program. R.I.P, 205 Live. The former Quinn McKay from Ring of Honor will apparently be serving as the host of the show, but she didn't make an appearance on this episode. For a "debut" episode, this was solid stuff. The main event was better than anything I had seen on 205 Live toward the end and the first two matches were serviceable. It'd be nice if they moved this show to a better timeslot or a different day because it's not like it's benefiting from being right after SmackDown.

SEE MORE: NXT Level Up Reviews