WWE NXT Review - July 18, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Ilja Dragunov Confronted NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes

Hayes has obviously had issues with The Judgment Day for a few weeks now, so it's important to drive home that the NXT Championship match at The Great American Bash is Hayes vs. Dragunov and not Hayes against someone from Judgment Day. This segment helped with that and I thought they had a great exchange despite the babyface vs. babyface dynamic. I don't want Dragunov becoming an afterthought in the midst of the Judgment Day drama and this ensured that wouldn't be the case.

NXT Heritage Cup Champion Nathan Frazer and Dragon Lee def. Los Lotharios

I really wish Lee would be doing more to stand out than being Frazer's tag team partner. Don't get me wrong, they work wonderfully together and this was a fun sprint, but Lee hasn't been getting too much shine on his own so far in NXT. Lotharios are obviously awesome, but it was interesting that they teased tension afterward. WWE hasn't done nearly enough with them as a team, but I wouldn't complain if we got Garza back as a singles star.

Kiana James def. Gigi Dolin

This was a rematch from a few weeks ago when Dolin won and James attacked her afterward with paint. It was on par with their previous encounter (which it is to say it was mediocre) due to being so short, though I'm not sure it would have been much better with more time. James winning evens the score, so I assume a stipulation match is coming. Any momentum Dolin had from beating Jacy Jane in that Weaponized Cage match in May is all but gone by this point.

Lucien Price and Bronco Nima def. Axiom and Scrypts

This was less about the match itself and more about the development at the end. Axiom and Scrypts have been buddies for a few months now, so Scrypts turning on Axiom to align with Price and Nima was certainly a surprise and not one I'm bothered by. Scrypts was apparently legitimately a part of a gang at one point and that's where the name came from. It seems to fall in line with what we've seen from Price and Nima in their recent vignettes, so it's a logical pairing. This benefits everyone involved.

The Family Attacked Gallus

This marked Tony D'Angelo's first appearance in the NXT arena in a few months. All of the stereotypical Italian family stuff was silly, and the explanation for how D'Angelo was freed from prison was questionable, but at least they attempted to explain it. The important thing is that this segment accomplished what it needed to with The Family establishing themselves as next in line for a shot at the NXT Tag Team Championship at The Great American Bash.

Thea Hail def. Elektra Lopez

This wasn't much of a match at all as it was over in roughly a minute. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though. I don't need to see Lopez in extended matches on NXT TV. Hail won by submission, and afterward, Tiffany Stratton denied her another opportunity at the NXT Women's Championship. That was, however, until Hail put her in a submission and forced her to accept the challenge. This stuff with Hail has gotten over nicely and I'm curious to see how their Submission match next Sunday plays out.

Oro Mensah def. Eddy Thorpe

The Meta-Four are a perfectly fine midcard group, but I don't know if I would have had Mensah beat Thorpe, even with an assist from Dijak. Thorpe just beat Damon Kemp in an NXT Underground match and should have kept his winning ways going, but it's not that big of a deal I suppose. The match was decent while it lasted and the key is that Thorpe already has his next feud set with Dijak, who excels at elevating others.

Roxanne Perez and Blair Davenport Exchanged Words

This was one of those split-screen interviews WWE does on occasion. I liked that approach because I don't know if this would have worked as well if they were face-to-face. Plus, it made sense because Perez wants to get her hands on Davenport and this prevented her from doing so. Both women had good mic work and they effectively set the stage for their rematch at The Great American Bash. Now the question is if Perez will get her win back or if she'll lose again and that paves the way for her being called up to the main roster.

Dominik Mysterio def. Wes Lee to Win the NXT North American Championship

As a match, this wasn't great as Lee is leaps and bounds better than Mysterio, but it was enjoyable enough and Mysterio is always improving. Mysterio has so much heat and Lee is an outstanding underdog champion that they had an excellent dynamic together. I didn't think Mysterio would actually win the title, but here we are. It's a cool twist, but it depends on what's next. Does Mysterio now defend against Mustafa Ali at The Great American Bash? Does Lee get a rematch before then? How does this affect the ongoing tension within Judgment Day?

Overall Show

This show was bookended by strong segments, first with Hayes and Dragunov hyping up their upcoming championship clash followed by Mysterio becoming NXT North American Champion. It was a newsworthy development, but the rest of the show was solid at best. The positive is that the main roster/NXT crossover seems to be working because ratings have gone up and people are paying more attention to NXT than even a few months ago. The card for The Great American Bash has also come together very well and it should continue NXT's streak of entertaining events.

SEE MORE: NXT Reviews