WWE NXT Review - August 20, 2024

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Nathan Frazer and Axiom Confronted Chase U; Frazer and Axiom def. Chase U (Riley Osborne and Duke Hudson)

Say what you will about Chase U (and I've said plenty over the years), but they're very much over with this audience. They've seemingly dropped the teases of tension between Ridge Holland and the other members, but I assume that storyline will be revisited at some point. The opening segment was solid as was the match that followed. By virtue of their victory, Frazer and Axiom will get their rematch for the NXT Tag Team Championship at No Mercy.

Wendy Choo def. Lola Vice

I'm sorry but Vice has been incredibly boring as a babyface. I understand that her face turn was supposed to be organic coming out of the feud with Roxanne Perez, but she simply isn't a natural in the role. The crowd sitting on their hands for this match should've been enough of an indicator that neither of them are clicking at the moment. The execution of the finish looked lame (a loaded pillow?!), but Choo had to win before she challenges Kelani Jordan for the NXT Women's North American Championship at No Mercy, which was made official afterward.

Jaida Parker def. Sol Ruca, Wren Sinclair, Kendal Grey, Brinley Reece and Adriana Rizzo in an NXT Women's Championship No. 1 Contender's Gauntlet Eliminator Match

This was essentially NXT's version of AEW's Casino Gauntlet, except not nearly as exciting due to the inexperience of most of these women. The middle was pretty pedestrian stuff, but I thought it opened and closed well enough. I assume they didn't want Ruca losing to Perez so soon after losing to Jordan and failing to win the NXT Women's North American title, but the heel vs. heel dynamic for Perez will be weird. That said, I'm sure Perez will give Parker one of her best matches yet.

Tank Ledger and Hank Walker def. The O.C. (Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows)

This felt like a match you'd see on Level Up and that's pretty sad considering The O.C. are main roster talent. This had no heat whatsoever. It was perfectly fine for what it was, but the focus was less on Hank and Tank winning and more on The O.C. losing. Yes, it was framed as a big upset for Hank and Tank, but The O.C. haven't won many matches this year and therefore their stock continues to plummet.

No Quarter Catch Crew, The D'Angelo Family and NXT North American Champion Oba Femi Brawled

Everyone in this segment has had an issue with each other, so it was logical that the segment culminated in a big brawl. It set up Charlie Dempsey, Myles Borne and Wren Sinclair vs. Channing Lorenzo, Luca Crusifino and Adriana Rizzo for next week's NXT as well as Femi vs. Tony D'Angelo for the NXT North American Championship at No Mercy. The segment was whatever, but it accomplished what it needed to.

Ashante "Thee" Adonis def. Dion Lennox

The story behind this match was that Adonis was mad at Lennox for attempting to steal the girls he was flirting with backstage. Yes, really. It was total throwaway and apparently only existed to give Adonis his first victory in forever. I'm very curious where the rest of his run in NXT goes because I have no idea what his ceiling is on his own. The match was passable and nothing more.

Joe Hendry def. Pete Dunne and Wes Lee in an NXT Championship No 1 Contender's Triple Threat Match

All three of these guys have momentum right now for different reason, but Hendry going over was the right call as he makes the most sense to challenge Ethan Page at No Mercy. He's obviously over and that'll make for a fun atmosphere. Fingers crossed TNA's Josh Alexander gets involved and costs Hendry the NXT Championship like he cost him the TNA World Championship at Slammiversary. This was a good Triple Threat, though I could've done without the finish being as overbooked as it was.

Overall Show

Despite new number one contenders to the NXT Championship and the NXT Women's Championship being determined, this was a significant step down in quality for NXT TV compared to the last few weeks. The main event held my interest, but everything else felt phoned-in or pointless. If nothing else, the build for No Mercy was well done and it looks like the card is complete (perhaps with one more match being announced next week).

SEE MORE: NXT Reviews