WWE NXT Level Up Review - May 19, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Eddy Thorpe def. Kale Dixon

Thorpe continues to roll with win after win. He's winning matches on both Level Up and NXT TV, so it's clear officials are high on him. It's going to take time for him to get over with the audience, but the guy can definitely work, that's for sure. This was another extended showcase for him. Dixon held his own, but as I've said before, there's nothing out of the ordinary about him. He's simply an average performer, which at least helps Thorpe stand out more.

Wendy Choo and Kelani Jordan def. Lola Vice and Elektra Lopez

Jordan lost to Choo in her Level Up debut last week, so I liked the dynamic of her teaming with Choo this week after earning her respect, along with Choo mentioning that she had no friends when she arrived in NXT. Jordan will only benefit from continuing to work with someone as experienced as Choo. They made for a decent team, but this wasn't the smoothest encounter on the whole. The final stretch in particular was a mess, but obviously, everyone except Choo needs more seasoning, so it wasn't too surprising.

Luca Crusifino def. Dante Chen

Crusifino was the one who insulted Von Wagner backstage recently on NXT, so it's possible we'll see him in the ring on the show soon to lose to Wagner. That would explain why he picked up his first win here, which was a slight surprise because I was expecting him to lose. There wasn't anything memorable about the match whatsoever, but it was perfectly serviceable and both guys had solid showings.

Overall Show

This was your average edition of Level Up, featuring the talent of tomorrow getting more reps and working with wrestlers who have been around a while. The matches were fairly basic, but that's to be expected given the developmental nature of the show. At the very least, it's cool to see these up-and-comers in their early stages before graduating to NXT TV like Oba Femi and Dani Palmer have recently, so the show is significant in that sense.

SEE MORE: NXT Level Up Reviews