WWE NXT Review - July 26, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Cora Jade and Toxic Attraction Interrupted Zoey Stark

I don't remember Stark being the best talker from before she got hurt, but I thought she cut a damn good promo here and you can tell it meant a lot to her to be able to return ahead of schedule. I've never been her biggest fan, but her against Mandy Rose for the NXT Women's Championship is a logical match to do for Heatwave. This was a solid segment that furthered Stark's issues with Jade after eliminating her from last week's Battle Royal and set up Stark vs. Dolin for later in the night.

Grayson Waller def. Wes Lee

Both of these guys are coming off of losses at The Great American Bash, so I'm not sure it was the smartest call to have them face other. Don't get wrong, this was an enjoyable outing and they worked well together, but I'd rather see them both winning as opposed to taking unnecessary losses. Thankfully, Lee didn't lose clean as it was Trick Williams who cost him the victory from ringside, indicating that feud isn't over yet.

​Apollo Crews def. Xyon Quinn

This match was supposed to happen last week or the week before but was bumped for some reason. Quinn is a perfectly competent in the wrestling, but he just hasn't been interesting lately due to his character not being fully fleshed out. From an in-ring standpoint, this was a solid match that could have been better with a bit more time. Quinn has lost a lot lately, but Crews needed this win after losing to Giovanni Vinci recently.

Zoey Stark def. Gigi Dolin

We don't see Dolin in many singles matches, but she can more than hold her own in the ring and I thought she had a nice showing against Stark, who is much more polished in the ring. This was well wrestled while it lasted and I forgot how cool Stark's finisher looked. Jade attacked Stark afterward before Roxanne Perez made the save. I'd say a tag team match could be coming, but Rose will first face the returning Sarray next week.

NXT Champion Bron Breakker Attacked JD McDonagh

I've always enjoyed McDonagh on the mic, but his deliver may not be for everyone. The approach he took to getting heat was interesting, and Breakker getting one over on him by simply headbutting him was well done. They effectively furthered the feud heading into their championship clash at Heatwave in a few weeks. McDonagh's not winning the title I don't think, but they're doing a decent job of building him up as somewhat of a threat.

Giovanni Vinci def. Andre Chase

As much as I despise the dumb Chase U gimmick, there can be no doubt Chase can go in the ring. He's shown his skills before, but I think it was extra apparent in this match. Having an extremely talented opponent in Vinci obviously helped with that. They had a fun match and Vinci winning was the right call, obviously. I thought this would be a standard squash, but it ended up exceeding my expectations.

Indi Hartwell def. Arianna Grace

Hartwell has been all over the place lately. After randomly losing to Kiana James recently, she went on to beat Lash Legend (in a bad match) and now Grace here. There wasn't much significance to this, but it was fine for what it was. Grace has potential, and while Hartwell has experience, I'd like to see her focused on and not just working with the newer talent. Hopefully she can find some direction soon.

Tony D’Angelo, Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo, Cruz Del Toro and Joaquin Wilde def. Diamond Mine (Roderick Strong, Damon Kemp and NXT Tag Team Champions The Creed Brothers)

There isn't as much dissension within Diamond Mine as there was a month ago, but the split could come at any time, especially coming off this latest loss of theirs. This was as well-wrestled as you'd expect with everyone playing their roles well and the action being entertaining. D'Angelo's family scoring the victory should set him and Lorenzo up for a shot at the NXT Tag Team Championship soon.

Overall Show

I maintain that Triple H taking over Creative for the main roster won't change much (if anything) about NXT 2.0, but as long as the show doesn't have the Vince McMahon influence anymore, that's what matters most. This was a fairly solid show that set the stage for Heatwave in two weeks. There were a few quality matches throughout the two hours and the crap was kept to a minimum, so I don't have many complaints about this episode.

SEE MORE: NXT Reviews