WWE NXT Review - February 6, 2024

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Carmelo Hayes Refused to Explain His Actions

Kicking off the show with the most hated man in NXT coming off that hot ending to Vengeance Day on Sunday made the most sense, but I liked how all he said was "Not yet" before leaving. It was kept short and sweet and left viewers waiting until a little later on for an explanation for why he betrayed Trick Williams. It reminded me of Roman Reigns opening that post-WrestleMania Raw in 2017 following his defeat of The Undertaker. He, too, was booed out of the building, but he let that reaction linger for a while (despite not being a heel). Hayes could've done the same, but what we got was still well done.

Axiom and Nathan Frazer def. Edris Enofe and Malik Blade

Enofe and Blade have been racking up losses lately and this was their attempt to get back on the same page. Obviously, they failed, but I find Axiom and Frazer far more interesting as a team, anyway. This was a fun affair with the correct result. Post-match, Bron Breakker and Baron Corbin attacked everyone and challenged The Family to an NXT Tag Team Championship match on next week's show, which The Family accepted. I assume they're rushing into it because Breakker is main roster bound and that'll likely be his swan song from the brand.

NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov and Dijak Brawled

Dragunov did the logical thing by calling out Hayes, who has been badmouthing him for months and blaming him for attacking Williams back in October. Dragunov and Hayes obviously work wonderfully together, but I don't know if we need a fourth encounter between the two. My guess is that we get it at the Roadblock edition of NXT next month. Dijak emerging instead was a pleasant surprise and I liked their exchange and subsequent brawl, but I wasn't a fan of their match being announced for the main event instead of saving it for another time.

Lexis King def. Riley Osborne

The story of the match was that Osborne was looking for Thea Hail in the stands, but Jacy Jane advised her to stay in the back so she didn't look too desperate ahead of their Valentine's Day date next week. Only in NXT, folks. In other words, King winning here was not the focus at all. They had a fine match, but it was too short to be anything of note. King continues to be the guy in the background of everyone else's stories with no real direction of his own.

Carmelo Hayes Explained His Actions

He could have easily waited until next week to deliver his explanation, but this was still excellent and he carried himself really well. Hayes has been a heel for the better part of his time in NXT, so we know he can thrive in this role, but his delivery of the promo and he nailed it. Playing Williams' music briefly to make the crowd think he was coming out was a nice touch. NXT has a rich history of memorable heel turns and this one for Hayes can rank high up there if the rest of their program delivers.

Roxanne Perez def. Lola Vice

Perez and Vice brawled backstage at Vengeance Day after Vice unsuccessfully cashed in her NXT Women's Breakout Tournament title shot during the NXT Women's Championship match and basically cost Perez the title. This received some time and ended up being solid. Vice needs more seasoning, but she's gradually improving and working with women like Perez will only help her cause. Vice will likely face Tatum Paxley next because she distracted Vice here and caused her to lose.

The Meta-Four (Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson) def. Wren Sinclair and Fallon Henley

As I've said before, Meta-Four does nothing for me. They're just not very entertaining as a group. Henley losing last week was one thing, but I didn't understand why she and Sinclair had to lose here. Any momentum Henley had coming off her huge victory over Tiffany Stratton is slowly dying down. As a match, this was okay but very much felt like the definition of developmental. Are these losses leading to Henley turning on Sinclair or vice versa?

NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov def. Dijak (Non-Title)

I loved the rivalry these two had last year and was hoping they'd rekindle their rivalry heading into Stand & Deliver, but instead the rematch was given away on a whim on this show. Oh well, I'm glad we got it at all. It was the hard-hitting affair we've come to expect from them, but it was hard to buy into the possibility of Dijak winning when you had to know Joe Gacy would get involved somehow. With Dijak disposed of and Hayes likely getting his shot at Roadblock, who does that leave for Dragunov at Stand & Deliver? Surely not a certain Rainmaker, right?

Overall Show

Vengeance Day was a successful event in my book, but the biggest hook coming into this episode was how they'd follow up on Hayes' heel turn. His promo was far and away the highlight, but I also dug the main event (despite the predictable outcome). Everything else was adequate, making for your run-of-the-mill edition of NXT on the whole. I was hoping for a hotter ending, but Dragunov vs. Hayes should be a blast as it always is. NXT will survive without Stratton and Breakker now that they're headed to Raw and SmackDown, but they do leave behind big voids that could have an effect on Stand & Deliver depending on how the card shapes up.

SEE MORE: NXT Reviews