WWE NXT Review - April 27, 2021

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Mercedes Martinez def. Dakota Kai by Disqualification

I don't know who is supposed to be the heel here because Kai and Martinez aren't showing any babyface tendencies. Raquel Gonzalez did for that one week, but then she threw Martinez into the barricade after this, so who knows. Otherwise, this was a solid opener from two of the best in NXT's women's division. Kai is a damn workhorse and it's nice to see Martinez back in the spotlight. The disqualification finish was disappointing, but I guess it prevented Kai from suffering a pinfall loss.

Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher Attack Grizzled Young Veterans

It was nice to see Grizzled Young Veterans get some mic time for a change. They're one of my favorite acts in the tag team division and need to rebound from their recent TakeOver losses. Ciampa and Thatcher interrupting and attacking them should lead to a match in the next week or two, but considering Grizzled Young Veterans already beat them in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic two months ago, I get the feeling Ciampa and Thatcher will avenge that loss. Ciampa bouncing around from feud to feud makes it painfully apparent he needs to move on from NXT.

Zayda Ramier def. Toni Storm

Has Storm ever meant less in WWE? That's a serious question, because she hasn't been presented as anyone important since coming to NXT. She'll pick up a win here and there, but she can never seem to win the big ones. Now, she can't win the little ones, either. She lost to Zoey Stark on the TakeOver: Stand & Deliver Night 1 pre-show, and then instead of bouncing back with a win here, she lost to someone we've barely seen before on NXT TV. I'm sure Ramier is talented and the Shooting Star Press looked good, but I honestly believe that this did more to hurt Storm than it did to help Ramier. If Stark vs. Storm happens again, why would anyone care with the recent losses Storm has racked up?

Bronson Reed def. Austin Theory

The stipulation stated that if Reed won, he'd earn another opportunity at the NXT North American Championship. No word on when that will happen, but I assume it will be in the next few weeks. Theory has been a comedy character for a while now, so even though the outcome was never in doubt, Theory did a great job of selling Reed's offense and it was a fun outing. We also got the progression of the Dexter Lumis/Indi Hartwell story with Lumis attempting to confront Hartwell and her saying he talks too much. That was funny.

Imperium (Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner) def. Drake Maverick and Killian Dain

It was teased last week that Dain was considering joining Imperium, but I don't think that will end up happening. He's better off in this tag team with Maverick, anyway. This was an enjoyable affair with the right team going over and I liked how Imperium knocking Dain off the apron played into Maverick's fears that he would abandon him mid-match. Alexander Wolfe hesitating to hit Dain at ringside was interesting.

The Way Attacked NXT Women's Tag Team Champions Ember Moon and Candice LeRae

Earlier in the evening, Moon and Blackheart were presented with flowers and chocolates that were said to be by Lumis. Obviously, The Way was behind it so Hartwell would stop being so obsessed with Lumis and it seems to have worked (for now). Candice LeRae and Hartwell then attacked Moon and Blackheart near ringside to set up a Street Fight for the NXT Women's Tag Team Championship next week. I appreciate the stipulation, but I feel like that match has been done to death since February and it's hard to care.

Arash Markazi Interviewed Adam Cole

TakeOver: Stand & Deliver was only a few weeks ago, so I wish NXT waited a little longer to bring Cole back coming off his loss to Kyle O'Reilly in their Unsanctioned match. This interview took place poolside somewhere. Cole brought up O'Reilly's name enough times that I'm convinced their rivalry isn't over yet, and O'Reilly being shown watching from the locker room all but confirms that to be the case. If so, why was NXT adamant about doing an Unsanctioned matchup between the two at that point in the program? That really should have been saved for the blow-off.

Legado del Fantasma (Santos Escobar, Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde) def. NXT Cruiserweight Champion Kushida and NXT Tag Team Champions MSK

Kushida and MSK made for a terrific trio. They have awesome chemistry together and worked wonderfully with Legado del Fantasma. This was definitely deserving of the main event spot and ended up being a blast. Legado del Fantasma picking up the win was necessary as they look to take the titles currently held by the babyfaces. I don't see Kushida dropping the belt back to Escobar, but I'm looking forward to their title rematch, nonetheless.

Overall Show

This was a slight step back from NXT's first two Tuesday night shows but still entertaining on the whole. The main event was above-average, we found out that a few feuds from TakeOver will be continuing, and there was some progression in the tag team scene as well. There weren't many major storyline developments, but I appreciated the setup for next week's NXT Women's Tag Team Championship match and Isiah "Swerve" Scott vs. Leon Ruff in a Falls Count Anywhere match. The Cameron Grimes and Ted DiBiase was probably the highlight of the night.