WWE NXT Level Up Review - July 14, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen def. Kale Dixon and Luca Crusifino

Dixon and Crusifino are two of the most generic guys featured on NXT programming currently, so they're a logical team to put together to lose to actual teams. Crusifino seemed to have something going when he beat Von Wagner by disqualification a few weeks ago, but that went nowhere and I don't know if he was featured on NXT TV again after that. This was a pretty basic bout, but I don't care about Briggs and Jensen and therefore I didn't care about this match.

Valentina Feroz def. Lola Vice

I guess this means Feroz and Elektra Lopez are still feuding. It makes sense now that Yulisa Leon is back and they can have a tag team match, but the storyline peaked a while ago, so I'd rather they move onto other opponents. Then again, there's not much of a women's tag team division right now in NXT due to the WWE Women's Tag Team Champions having yet to take their titles to NXT. Vice needs more experience, but she looked fine here and they had a perfectly passable match.

Axiom def. Tavion Heights

This was easily Heights' best match yet on Level Up and I'm stoked because I could tell from our interview last year that he's a genuinely good dude with a ton of potential. He obviously needs more mic time and a chance to develop a character, but turning heads with a performance like this will only help him in the long run. Of course, having such a skilled opponent in Axiom was a plus as they worked really well together and had a fun match. The crowd was into this one.

Overall Show

We were back to the three-match format this week. Personally, I prefer a shorter show with two matches (a la Main Event), especially if storylines aren't being furthered, but I understand that it gives these up-and-comers more reps. This was a middle-of-the-road show on the whole. The first two matches were whatever, but Axiom vs. Heights was above-average by Level Up standards and is well worth checking out.

SEE MORE: NXT Level Up Reviews