WWE NXT Review - December 10, 2024

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Kelani Jordan Saved Giulia From NXT Women's Champion Roxanne Perez and Cora Jade

Everything about this segment was basic booking. Giulia barely said anything, Perez and Jade interrupted her before attacking her, and Jordan made the save. That set up the night's tag team main event. This was hardly riveting television, but it accomplished what it needed to and furthered two feuds at once since Jordan and Jade seem to be rivals after what happened in last week's Iron Survivor Challenge qualifier.

Je'Von Evans def. Wes Lee

Evans and Lee's last match about a month ago in the ECW Arena was good, but this rematch was more along the lines of what I was expecting. It was all action and had a quick pace. These two work really well together. Evans won their first encounter with an assist from Rob Van Dam, so I expected Lee to avenge that loss here to keep the rivalry rolling. Don't get me wrong, but I'm happy Evans picked up the big win by beating Lee yet again, but Lee's future feels uncertain. Is he finally main roster bound?

Hank Walker and Tank Ledger def. Tyson Dupont and Tyriek Igwe

These teams had a string of matches on Level Up and have always had quality chemistry. This was decent, but unfortunately, NXT's tag team division lacks depth. Thus, it's hard to care about these matches because I'm not confident Hank and Tank will go anywhere after this win. Igwe didn't accept the post-match handshake from Hank and Tank, so that was a mildly intriguing development.

NXT Champion Trick Williams and Eddy Thorpe Confronted Oba Femi

It's amazing how far Femi has come on the mic in the last year. He's improved a lot in the ring as well, but it's noticeable how he sounds so much more confident and comfortable in his promos. That was evident during this segment where they simultaneously built toward Williams vs. Femi at New Year's Evil and Williams vs. Thorpe for the NXT Championship on next week's episode. I thought all three guys played their roles perfectly, and Thorpe revealing at the end of the night that he was behind his own attack was a clever angle.

Fatal Influence (Jacy Jane and Jazmyn Nyx) def. Tatum Paxley and Gigi Dolin

There really wasn't much to the match since it was so brief, but what we got was perfectly passable. Despite Fallon Henley being the NXT Women's North American Champion, Fatal Influence still doesn't feel like a legitimate threat, so this was a necessary win for them. Meanwhile, Shotzi returning afterward was a pleasant surprise. She's been gone for almost exactly a year and the last time she appeared on WWE TV, she was on NXT, not to mention she's a natural fit alongside Paxley and Dolin.

NXT North American Champion Tony D'Angelo def. Ethan Page

During a backstage segment at the beginning of the show, D'Angelo told Page he felt bad for him and granted him a shot at the NXT North American Championship. Part of me thought Page might pull off the shocker and take the title, but I'm glad that didn't happen. Instead, he's still down on his luck and lost. This was solid stuff and I appreciate D'Angelo being made to look strong as champion, but his reign doesn't feel like it has direction.

Cora Jade and NXT Women's Champion Roxanne Perez def. Kelani Jordan and Giulia

Although there wasn't anything out of the ordinary about this from an in-ring standpoint, it was a nice match with a commendable effort from all involved. NXT's stacked women's division never feel out of place in the main event. Jade and Jordan might continue to feud and Jordan can eventually beat Jade, but based on Stephanie Vaquer going after Jade afterward, it looks like Vaquer will be Jade's bigger focus. 

Overall Show

Honestly, if you missed Deadline, you didn't miss much. I thought this edition of NXT did an effective job of following up on it and reminding viewers of all the key stuff that happened. All eyes are now on New Year's Evil next month and two major matches are confirmed for that show. They also announced several matches for next week's episode in Lowell, MA, which I'm hoping to be in attendance for. These were two entertaining hours of television from the NXT brand.

SEE MORE: NXT Reviews