 Bron Breakker and Baron Corbin def. Nathan Frazer and Axiom in a Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Semifinal MatchWhat a match! Seriously, this was one of my favorite matches I've seen on NXT TV in recent memory. Yes, part of that is because I was in attendance to watch this live, but it really was an awesome opener. All four guys worked wonderfully together and the action was excellent throughout. The babyfaces had some exciting offense and sold well for the heels, who have gelled into a terrific team. I'm not sure anything in this year's Dusty Classic will top this. Lash Legend def. Wren SinclairSinclar is the new name for the former Madi Wrenkowski, whose work I'm very familiar with from the NWA and AEW's Dark shows. She has a ton of potential, but she'll fare better in the long run as a heel. The underdog babyface shtick is an odd fit for her, but maybe she'll make it work. She scored some offense here, but this was a straightforward squash for Legend otherwise. Fallon Henley helped Sinclair fend off Meta-Four afterward. Dijak vs. Joe Gacy Went to a No ContestGacy has been floating around as of late doing nothing but acting crazy, but pairing him with Dijak might be the best thing for both of them. Dijak has also been directionless since wrapping up his rivalry with Eddy Thorpe, so this gives him something to do as well. Their respective styles could mesh quite well and having them brawl built more interest in the eventual match than giving it away here. The crowd was into it. Lexis King def. Trey BearhillKing took Bearhill's spot in the NXT Men's Breakout Tournament simply by injuring him and they've been feuding ever since. It's been fairly underwhelming, to say the least. We know very little about Bearhill and King hasn't won enough matches to be taken seriously. Yes, he won here as he should have, but this honestly felt like it belonged on Level Up. It didn't last long, so there was that. Elektra Lopez and Lola Vice Brawled on Supernova Sessions Hosted by Noam DarNeither Lopez nor Vice are babyfaces to my knowledge, but the crowd ate up their exchange in this segment. Vice needs more seasoning and she's gradually improving, but Lopez definitely cut the better promo of the two. Their brawl set up a match between them for next week's show. If their split feels abrupt, it's likely because Lopez's main roster call-up is imminent and they want to blow their feud off as quickly as possible. Dragon Lee def. ScryptsThe acrobatic stuff from Scrypts does nothing for me personally, but he did work well with Lee here. They had a nice little match that featured some fun stuff. It provided Lee with a rebound win following his loss of the NXT North American Championship to Oba Femi and we found out post-match that their rematch will take place at Vengeance Day. It almost feels unnecessary with Lee already being on the main roster, but I guess they want Femi to work with someone experienced before Lee leaves. Blair Davenport def. Karmen PetrovicDavenport is back to being in a holding pattern until she settles into her next storyline where she'll inevitably put someone over. She failed to win the NXT Women's Championship at New Year's Evil, so what is there left for her to do? Similar to King vs. Bearhill from earlier, this also felt like it belonged on Level Up, but it was perfectly fine for what it was. Petrovic needs more character development if she's going to connect with the audience. Trick Williams def. Josh BriggsApparently, Briggs' storyline with Meta-Four was dropped out of nowhere. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, though. He'll benefit more from facing off with the bigger players like Williams, and they had an enjoyable outing. With Williams challenging for the NXT Championship at Vengeance Day, it would have been silly for him to lose here, but does Briggs's post-match actions mean he's a heel now? The ongoing drama with Williams, Ilja Dragunov and Carmelo Hayes has kept my interest. NXT Women's Champion Lyra Valkyria and Roxanne Perez Signed the Contract For Their NXT Women's Championship Match at Vengeance DayI'm not sold on Ava being the solo authority figure on NXT, but she's better than she was when she debuted over a year ago and she played her role well in this segment. Valkyria and Perez had a strong exchange and I appreciated how it didn't end in them brawling. Instead, Tatum Paxley (Valkyria's recent stalker) emerged from underneath the table and put Perez through it. I like the layer of intrigue she adds to the angle. Overall ShowAttending an NXT show at Full Sail University was on my wrestling bucket list for a long time, and although they tape shows at the Performance Center these days, it's essentially the same atmosphere and thus I had a blast being there live. The show on paper wasn't anything out of the ordinary (outside of that random backstage appearance from the returning William Regal that blew my mind), but at least they did a decent job of building toward Vengeance Day and I really liked how they opened and closed the night.
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