WWE NXT Review - January 3, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Carmelo Hayes def. Apollo Crews

I'm surprised this wasn't saved for New Year's Evil, but I can't complain about NXT's first match of 2023 being a banger. Seriously, this was great stuff from these two, as expected. Crews continues to remind people how truly talented he is while Hayes picks up a big win over an established star on his road to the NXT Championship. I appreciated that it came in clean fashion, meaning that there's no real reason for a rematch.

Axiom def. Trick Williams

I liked the seamless segue from Crews vs. Hayes into this outing. There wasn't much to it due to it being so brief, but it was a nice little match while it lasted. Williams holds his own against all of his opponents and has improved quite a bit over the last year. This was a good win for Axiom, even though Williams is merely a lackey for Hayes. The post-match angle set up Crews and Axiom vs. Hayes and Williams for a future episode.

Dijak def. Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo

Dijak prevented Lorenzo from interfering in last week's main event and Tony D'Angelo from winning the NXT North American Championship in the process. Lorenzo scored more offense than he probably should have, but at least this was kept short and sweet with Dijak winning decisively. D'Angelo attacked Dijak afterward and challenged him to a match at New Year's Evil next week. I'm surprised they're not going with a Triple Threat also involving Wes Lee for the North American title instead.

NXT's Women's Division Descended Into Chaos

This started out as a Toxic Attraction promo with them vowing revenge on Roxanne Perez for playing a part in the downfall of their empire. Indi Hartwell interrupted them, followed by Cora Jade and Nikkita Lyons, and then the entire women's division showed up and broke out into a brawl, setting up a number contender's Battle Royal for next week. This was pretty basic stuff, but it will be interesting to see who ultimately emerges as Perez's first challenger.

Alba Fyre def. Isla Dawn in an Extreme Resolutions Match

For as little as I've cared about this feud, I give them credit for working well together. Their match at Deadline exceeded expectations and this was fun for what it was, largely due to the stipulation. They began brawling during the previous segment and it led perfectly into this match. Fyre has lost so much this year that she desperately needed this victory, so the outcome was the correct one. Dawn's matches so far have been better than the matches she was having in NXT UK, but her gimmick still sucks.

Oro Mensah def. Javier Bernal

Mensah impressed upon arriving in NXT a few months ago and competing in the North American title Ladder match at Halloween Havoc, but I don't think he had been seen on NXT TV since. He's been spinning his wheels on Level Up, but hardly anyone watches that show (other than myself). This was a standard showcase for Mensah and Bernal was the perfect person for him to beat in his return to TV. Now he needs to rack up more wins in order to build momentum.

Drew Gulak def. Andre Chase

It's so refreshing to see Gulak back his wrestling roots and being taken seriously for a change. He can lend a lot of credibility working with guys like Hank Walker, Charlie Dempsey and Chase (even though Chase already has plenty of experience from before WWE). This was well wrestled and served as a way to re-establish Gulak. His eventual match with Dempsey should be a treat.

NXT Tag Team Champion Kofi Kingston def. Joe Gacy

A New Day vs. Schism feud for the NXT Tag Team Championship doesn't interest me any. Gacy can go as can The Dyad, but as an act, it doesn't compel or entertain me at all. Maybe New Day can help with that? Nonetheless, this match definitely should've lasted longer than it did, but it was a quality contest for what it was. Gacy losing doesn't do much to make Schism look like a threat to New Day or the tag titles, if that's the direction they're headed in.

NXT Champion Bron Breakker Attacked Grayson Waller on The Grayson Waller Effect

The build to next week's NXT Championship clash has been well done on the whole, but this was hardly a strong effort to leave viewers looking forward to it. Waller did his best, but Breakker's responses were lame, even though I know what they were trying to go far with Breakker acting unbothered by Waller's comments. That dive over the top rope was pretty damn cool, though. Breakker standing tall over his challenge on the "go-home show" before New Year's Evil was fine since Waller laid him out the last time they went face-to-face.

Overall Show

A recurring theme throughout this show was that almost every match wasn't given enough time, presumably so they could squeeze as much into the episode as possible. As a go-home show for New Year's Evil, it was serviceable and they've announced some interesting matches for next week. The highlight of the night was obviously Crews vs. Hayes, but the show peaked at that point. At least everything seemingly served a purpose.

SEE MORE: NXT Reviews