WWE NXT Review - August 15, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

NXT Tag Team Champions The Family def. The Dyad

The Dyad lost what was basically a Last Chance match to Gallus when the latter team were still champions, but that stipulation is no longer in play now that The Family have the belts. Reportedly, they're still on their way out of NXT, so I can't say I ever bought into the possibility of them becoming champs. It was a good match, though, and The Creed Brothers attacking The Dyad while dressed as Schism henchmen and costing them the win furthered that feud.

Blair Davenport def. Dana Brooke

It's honestly amazing that Brooke has been around for as long as she has been and continues to be as abysmal in the ring as she is. Davenport is far superior in every way and even she couldn't carry Brooke to a competent contest. Thankfully, it didn't last more than a few minutes. More seeds were planted for a Brooke heel turn with her teasing tension with Kelani Jordan at ringside. Needless to say, a character change for Brooke is long overdue.

Trick Williams def. Drew Gulak

Williams has a big match coming up next week with Ilja Dragunov and this existed to give him a last-minute momentum boost before then. Gulak was never going to win, but the key was that Williams was in there with an experienced competitor because that's the only way he'll improve. They had a well-worked match. I'm glad Williams is getting an opportunity to shine on his own for a change and he's making the most of it.

Von Wagner and Baron Corbin Brawled

Corbin made a comment about "running Gable Steveson out" out NXT, so there doesn't appear to be a rematch from The Great American Bash on the horizon despite the non-finish. I'm not upset by that because their initial encounter sucked, but perhaps that's a sign they realized Steveson needs more seasoning before becoming a regular on NXT TV. A match between Corbin and Wagner is interesting, though. Corbin carried him through this talking segment and I give Wagner credit for at least trying. If nothing else, he's gotten over as a babyface more than I ever thought he would and I applaud him for that.

Wes Lee def. Dijak in an NXT Championship No. 1 Contender's Match

These two had one of NXT's best bouts all year when they faced off for the NXT North American Championship at Vengeance Day. This didn't quite reach that same level, but this was still an entertaining outing with both guys giving it their all and selling injuries by the end. I actually would have preferred to see Dijak go over and see Lee saved as a challenger for Carmelo Hayes for another time, but I understand Dijak's not done with Eddy Thorpe yet. Lee vs. Hayes happens on the Heatwave special next week.

Tyler Bate def. Joe Coffey by Disqualification

The commentators referenced a history these two have from NXT UK that I legitimately do not remember. Then again, they were both on the brand long enough that they had to have crossed paths at some point. Nonetheless, this was the quality contest you'd expect from these two up until Dabba-Kato crashed it. He hit Bate first, so I assume Bate won by disqualification, but there wasn't an official ruling and WWE.com didn't have one, either. He also attacked Coffey, so I don't know if he's supposed to be a babyface now or if Gallus are the ones going babyface. Coffey vs. Kato is a really random rivalry, but hopefully Kato can benefit from working with him.

Jacy Jane def. Thea Hail

It's cool that Chase U continue to be a focal point on NXT TV despite Hail's loss to Tiffany Stratton at The Great American Bash. Hail had added another wrinkle to her character by acting frustrated at Andre Chase for involving himself in her matches and costing her wins. This was a basic bout, but they told that story again here and what's what purpose this served. I always thought Duke Hudson would be the one to turn heel on Chase, but they're heavily hinting it at Hail being the one to walk away instead.

NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes and Wes Lee Went Face-to-Face

Hayes vs. Lee came together so quickly (though it's been subtly built up for a few weeks) that I didn't think we'd get a formal face-off between them before they go one-on-one next Tuesday, and I'm happy we did because this was great stuff. Hayes is a proven star in every way, but we haven't heard a ton from Lee on the mic this past year and I thought he cut a hell of a promo talking about all the obstacles he's overcome throughout his career and specifically on his own in NXT. It left me looking forward to their match next week, even though I don't think there's a strong chance of Lee taking the title.

Overall Show

NXT has done a nice job of putting together a solid card for next Tuesday's Heatwave special on such short notice and there was plenty of effective build/hype for it on this show. Hayes felt like more of a focal point this week with The Judgment Day taking a backseat and that was appreciated. Nothing else stood out in a major way,  but I enjoyed the episode on the whole and liked a lot of the storyline progression/character development they did.

SEE MORE: NXT Reviews