WWE NXT Level Up Review - July 28, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Damon Kemp def. Ikemen Jiro

Kemp is coming off three straight losses to Eddy Thorpe on NXT TV, so this allowed him to get back on track. Jiro was a logical person for him to work with because he's a big fan favorite and could sell really well for Kemp's offense. This was mostly a quality contest, but it seemed like they didn't click at certain points and the finish did not look great. Jiro almost landed badly on his neck, so hopefully Kemp can clean up that suplex finisher in the future if he's going to continue doing it.

Ivy Nile def. Karmen Petrovic

Based on what went down on Tuesday's NXT, it doesn't look like Nile will be on her own for much longer if The Creed Brothers are indeed sticking around despite losing that Losers Leave NXT match against The Dyad earlier this month. I'd still like to see her get a significant singles push at some point, but it feels like officials solely see her as someone who can work with the inexperienced talent. Speaking of which, Petrovic had a much more impressive showing than I thought in her debut here. Even her promo backstage beforehand exceeded my expectations. This was a nice little sprint.

Duke Hudson def. Luca Crusifino

Hudson and Andre Chase have taken a backseat as of late with Thea Hail being built up for a shot at the NXT Women's Championship, which is totally fine because Hail has gotten over extremely well in the underdog role. Crusifino's lawyer gimmick is still stupid, but he can hold his own in the ring. Thus, this was a well-worked main event with a good dynamic and the crowd behind Hudson throughout.

Overall Show

This was an enjoyable edition of Level Up on the whole with three solid matches. Aside from the ending, Kemp vs. Jiro was fun stuff, Petrovic stood out in her debut, and the crowd was livelier for Hudson vs. Crusifino than almost anything else on this show in recent weeks. I hope Level Up follows this formula more going forward, but I know it's intended to be a developmental program at the end of the day and isn't necessarily about producing entertaining matches.

SEE MORE: NXT Level Up Reviews