WWE NXT Level Up Review - July 26, 2024

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Jaida Parker def. Layla Diggs

Parker is progressing is a lot quicker than I originally expected her to. Her in-ring work still needs fine-tuning, but the feud with Michin helped her a lot and her matches are getting better. To her credit, Diggs has shown signs of improvement as well. I was shocked she was hired in that WWE: Next Gen show that aired earlier this year, but she's gradually finding her footing. This was perfectly fine for what it was.

Dion Lennox def. Uriah Connors

I like the story that's been told with these two in the last few weeks as they've unsuccessfully teamed up twice and Lennox didn't approve of Connors trying to cheat. That was actually what cost Connors the win here: He attempted to hold the ropes while pinning Lennox but it backfired and he lost. I appreciated that attention to detail. Apparently, this is Lennox's first televised win of any kind. They had a good match that benefited from having a story.

Dante Chen def. Cutler James

James was shown confronting Chen earlier in the episode and challenging him to this match as a way to test himself. His problem is not his matches but rather his generic character and promos. If he can show more of a personality (like we saw on WWE: Next Gen), then he might be able to get over with the audience. This was a well-worked match with James looking credible in defeat. Chen plays his role well as the gatekeeper on NXT, but I'd like to see him continue making appearances on NXT TV as well.

Overall Show

This was certainly a step up from your average edition of Level Up. The extra backstage segment they've added has been great with creating actual stories and developing characters. For a long time, Level Up was just a platform for the newer stars to get experience on, but it's becoming more than that and it's made the show somewhat consequential. I hope this formula is here to stay because this was a super solid show.

SEE MORE: NXT Level Up Reviews