WWE NXT Review - January 11, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

NXT Champion Bron Breakker Addressed the Audience

It feels like Breakker has become much more on the mic in the last month or so. At the rate he's improving, he'll be a top champion on the main roster in no time. I liked how he acknowledged his father coming into the ring and celebrating with him even though it didn't make the air. He's an absolute star and is the perfect person to be carrying the brand right now. This was short, sweet and exactly what it needed to be.

Santos Escobar def. Xyon Quinn

I haven't been able to get into this storyline with Escobar, Quinn and Elektra Lopez at all. It's been a watered-down version of what Johnny Gargano, Dexter Lumis and Indi Hartwell were doing last year. The match itself was entertaining and Quinn held his own, but Escobar winning was the right call. He needed the victory more after losing whenever it mattered most in 2021. He teased clashing with Breakker beforehand and I'd be all for that as Breakker's first feud as NXT Champion.

Cameron Grimes def. Damon Kemp

Grimes indicated last week in a video package that he has gold in his sights coming into the new year. I know he was Million Dollar Champion very briefly last summer, but it's about time he reentered the NXT North American Championship chase, assuming that's where he's headed. He's still super over with the audience and this was a nice showcase for him. Malcolm Bivens attempted to scout him was interesting, making me think Grimes vs. Roderick Strong is coming soon.

Edris Enofe and Malik Blade def. Joe Gacy and Harland in a Men's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Play-In Match

I don't think I ever remember seeing a "play-in" match for any of the Dusty Classics we've gotten over the years. It's weird these teams wouldn't automatically be entered because it's not like NXT has many other teams to fill out the bracket, but I appreciate the effort. Gacy and Hartland dominated a majority of the match only to get disqualified for kicking too much ass (which is always a lame finish). On the bright side, Enofe and Blade worked well together and may have a future as a tandem.

Tony D'Angelo def. Pete Dunne in a Crowbar-on-a-Pole Match

Any match that has a "on a pole" stipulation is already at a disadvantage in my book. Thankfully, these guys are talented enough that they were able to make it work. It didn't get off to the strongest start, but once they picked up the pace, it turned into a quality contest. Dunne won their first encounter, so D'Angelo taking this victory was necessary. It's even more impressive when you consider how protected Dunne has been over the last year.

Indi Hartwell, Persia Pirotta and Wendy Choo def. Amari Miller, Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter

The new gimmick for Karen Q (a.k.a. Wendy Choo) is just terrible. She seems to be decent in the ring, but I don't understand how they think that character is going to get anywhere. This was perfectly acceptable affair that mostly existed to preview the women's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic kicking off next month. Hartwell and Pirotta are my early pick to win the whole thing considering they've done nothing of note since Halloween Havoc.

Solo Sikoa vs. Boa Ended in a Double Count-Out

I can't believe this feud is still going. Sikoa deserves better than this. I was hoping it would be a one-and-done with Sikoa squashing Boa and that being it, but it's obviously not over based on the lame double count-out finish and I'm not sure why. Does Boa really have a chance of getting over with his current character? The match was whatever and the best thing I can say about it is that it didn't waste more than a few minutes of television time.

NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams Addressed the Audience

This was similar to the Breakker promo to start the show in that he showed respect to Roderick Strong before ushering in his own era as champion. Although he's a goof most of the time, Trick Williams also played his role well. Hayes is one of the top stars of NXT 2.0 and has been exceptionally well so far. I'd love if the AJ Styles tease led somewhere, but I'm not holding my breath.

AJ Styles def. Grayson Waller

I may be in the minority, but I believe Waller has a really bright future with a lot of upside. Regardless of what you think about his gimmick, the guy can go and he proved that against one of WWE's very best here in Styles. He had an excellent performance and it was one of the better matches I've seen Styles have lately as well. I thoroughly enjoyed this main event and thought Waller was successfully made to look credible in defeat. The post-match angle with LA Knight returning was also very well done.

Overall Show

I found this to be one of the better editions of NXT 2.0 in recent memory. Styles wrestling in the main event obviously helped (and it lived up to the hype), but the overall show was solid as well. The two non-finishes were stupid, but we did get build for the men's and women's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classics, the Crowbar-on-a-Pole match exceeded expectations, and we got to hear from the new champions. The undercard stuff was largely mediocre, but the bigger stuff delivered and I'm glad new storylines are already getting underway following New Year's Evil last week.

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