WWE NXT Level Up Review - September 6, 2024

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Izzi Dame def. Layla Diggs

Both of these women are still in process of improving, so I don't think it was a wise choice to put them in the ring together at this stage. What we got was a very subpar match with several rough spots. I'm glad the crowd realizes they're learning and doesn't boo these rookies out of the building, but that doesn't necessarily mean that these matches make for great television. Dame's wins are too inconsistent for me to care, personally.

Dani Palmer def. Lainey Reid

I'm pretty sure Reid's been a babyface up until now, but a promo that was shown beforehand established her as the heel for the match. This was better wrestled than the opener and I liked how this had an actual story. I believe this marked Palmer's first win since returning to the ring from injury, so I can't imagine Reid will be too happy with the loss. It'd be nice if they built toward a rematch and continued feuding.

Dante Chen def. Drake Morreaux

I thought Morreaux cut a solid promo backstage beforehand talking about this match, wanting to make a name for himself and hyping up Chen as the gatekeeper of NXT. He came across well, so hopefully he gets more promo opportunities in the future. It left me thinking Morreaux might pull out the upset, but no such luck. They had a good match and at least Morreaux was made to look credible in defeat.

Overall Show

We're back to the three-match formula, which is totally fine because this was an adequate episode. Okay, so Dame vs. Diggs in the opener was weak, but I enjoyed the other two matches for what they were. The subtle storylines they're trying to incorporate into the show have made the matches feel much more significant. The match quality obviously varies from week to week, but this edition of Level Up was serviceable in that respect.

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