WWE NXT Review - August 3, 2021

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Hit Row (Top Dolla and Ashante "Thee" Adonis) def. Legado del Fantasma (Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza) by Disqualification

I've been digging this faction feud, even though Hit Row didn't do much to officially turn face. Both of these teams have plenty of potential and had an entertaining opener here. I didn't love the show starting with a disqualification, but at least it protected the heels in defeat. The post-match brawl was well done and set the stage nicely for that eventual six-man tag team match. B-Fab getting physical with a chair shot was surprising.

Ridge Holland def. Ikemen Jiro

I've enjoyed Jiro's work on 205 Live, but he didn't stand a chance here. Holland gave off major young Brock Lesnar vibes before he got hurt last week, and if he can continue to hone his skills and intensity, I can see him having a similar path to the top. This was a fairly standard squash for him and he effectively came off as dominant. As I said last week, I like how he's still aligned with Pete Dunne and Oney Lorcan. I'm curious who they'll feud with next.

Roderick Strong def. Bobby Fish

I remember these two putting on a wrestling clinic for the ROH World Television Championship five years ago and this was equally enjoyable. They aren't the flashiest guys in the ring (or at least Fish isn't), but they wrestle similar styles and work well with just about everyone, including with each other. This was a very well-worked match that could have been even better with a few more minutes. I assume this is it for them with Strong winning decisively. Later in the night, Kushida agreed to give Strong a shot at the NXT Cruiserweight Championship and I hope it's saved for TakeOver.

Grizzled Young Veterans def. Million Dollar Champion LA Knight and Cameron Grimes

I know they're probably building to Knight vs. Grimes III at TakeOver 36 and I'm all for that, but quite honestly, I'd love to see Grimes and Knight team for a little longer. They have a terrific dynamic with Knight as the heel and Grimes as the likeable babyface. They wouldn't need to necessarily go after the NXT Tag Team Championship, but it would keep the story going past TakeOver. This was a fun match and Grizzled Young Veterans picking up a victory was much needed.

Trey Baxter def. Joe Gacy in an NXT Breakout Tournament Quarterfinal Match

While both of these guys were impressive, I'm glad it was Baxter who advanced. I saw Gacy for the first time on 205 Live in a Breakout Tournament qualifier and he didn't overly interest me despite being a pretty good and experienced wrester. Baxter had a standout showing against Kushida in his debut several weeks back and has that feel-good babyface story to boot. This was a decent little match, but I'm hoping they'll kick it up a notch in the next round.

Samoa Joe Attacked NXT Security

This was a strong segment. The video package that aired on Joe earlier in the evening was fantastic and he came off like a true badass here. Kross' promo was kept short and sweet and he bailed before Joe could get his hands on him, leaving NXT's (awful) security team to feel his wrath instead. It's telling that Scarlett hasn't been seen since Kross debuted on Raw a few weeks ago. That makes me think she won't be ringside for Joe vs. Kross at TakeOver. Nonetheless, props to NXT for trying their best to get viewers excited for their NXT Championship match despite WWE's bizarre booking of Kross on the main roster in recent weeks.

Johnny Gargano def. Dexter Lumis in a Love Her or Lose Her Match

I don't think we've seen a match like this since SummerSlam 1999 when Test beat Shane McMahon for the love of Stephanie McMahon (how long did that last?). It fit this storyline perfectly and it's cool that it was positioned as the main event. The outcome was genuinely unpredictable and I liked the drama with each of the nearfalls. Lumis' matches typically aren't the most exciting, but he's put together a nice resume for himself over the last year. I was pulling for a Lumis win, but we got him and Indi Hartwell making out anyway afterward even though he lost. I suppose it was their way of getting around the stipulation, which stated that Lumis would have to stop pursuing Hartwell if he lost and not the other way around.

Overall Show

This wasn't as newsworthy of a show as last week, but the two hours were enjoyable on the whole. Although Gargano vs. Lumis and Fish vs. Strong were the most promoted matches coming into the episode and both of them were above-average, my favorite part of the show was the video packages promoting WALTER vs. Ilja Dragunov II, Joe's NXT return, and Dakota Kai turning on Raquel Gonzalez. No one does that type of stuff better than WWE. I'm into most of the other storylines currently on NXT, but I maintain that the brand would feel hotter if the shows were happening in front of more fans and not inside the bush-league Capitol Wrestling Center.

SEE MORE: NXT Reviews