WWE NXT Review - June 13, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

NXT North American Champion Wes Lee, Mustafa Ali and Tyler Bate def. Schism (Joe Gacy and The Dyad)

NXT usually kicks off with a video package or a talking segment, so I appreciated that they wasted no time getting into this match. It was all action, the babyfaces worked wonderfully together, and the heels can obviously hold their own. This was a really enjoyable opener. Ali is established and Lee is a champion, so I liked that Bate picked up the win for his team to prove he's worthy of remaining in the mix for the NXT North American Championship right now.

World Heavyweight Champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins Accepted Bron Breakker's Challenge

The crowd tried to sing Seth Rollins' theme song while Breakker was talking, but it got shut down almost immediately because Breakker wouldn't pay it any attention. Thank God, it was annoying enough on Monday's Raw. There was no mention of Breakker on Monday night, but Rollins did appear on the Titantron here to officially answer Breakker's challenge for next Tuesday's NXT. So, for those keeping track, Rollins will defend his World Heavyweight Championship in an open challenge next Monday on Raw and again the next night on NXT against Breakker. I'd argue him going to NXT does more to make the title feel less-than as opposed to elevating NXT, but that's just my opinion. I'm looking forward to the match, though.

Thea Hail def. Cora Jade

Jade disrespected Dana Brooke backstage right before this, so you had to know she'd factor into the finish somehow. A clean, credibility-boosting win for Hail would've been nice, but she's the ultimate underdog and they wanted to protect Jade in defeat. The match was fine and accomplished what it needed to. I couldn't care less about Brooke being back in NXT (it's several years too late), but at least she can (hopefully) put over Jade while she's here, for whatever the hell that's worth.

Nathan Frazer def. Oro Mensah to Win Noam Dar's NXT Heritage Cup Championship

Dar announced beforehand that he wasn't medically cleared to compete due to an injury (which he presumably feigned), so Mensah served as his replacement and the title was still on the line. They ran down the rules again beforehand, but I still found it difficult to care, especially with all of the outside shenanigans at the end. It was a well-worked match and I'm happy Frazer got his moment, but the Heritage Cup stuff does nothing for me, personally.

Axiom and Scrypts def. Dabba-Kato in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match

Axiom and Scrypts have formed a bond and exhibited nice chemistry as partners here. A heel having to overcome the odds in a Handicap match (unless it's a squash) is always an odd story, and it doesn't make the babyfaces' win all that impressive. If nothing else, this was kept short and sweet. Los Lotharios emerged afterward to attack Axiom and Scrpyts, so it looks like they're back in NXT as well. Their main roster runs have been disappointing (specifically Angel Garza's) and they haven't been on TV in many months, so I'm in favor of them being brought back.

Malik Blade def. Edris Enofe

The story was that Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen as well as the duo of Hank Walker and Tank Ledger grew closer after fighting each other, so that's why Blade and Enofe went one-on-one here. There wasn't much to the match because it was so brief, but it was a nice little sprint while it lasted. Post-match, Booker T announced those three teams will compete to determine the number one contenders to the NXT Tag Team Championship on Night 2 of Gold Rush.

Roxanne Perez def. Tatum Paxley

Paxley joined forces with Blair Davenport last week to help eliminate Perez, though I'm not sure if they'll be officially aligned going forward. Paxley means practically nothing at this point, so this was an easy win for Perez in what was a decent match. She called out Davenport afterward for everything she's done in recent months (putting multiple women on the shelf with injuries), putting that program into motion. I'm glad that this gives Perez something significant to do outside of the NXT Women's Championship picture.

Baron Corbin def. Ilja Dragunov

Dragunov came into this at a disadvantage after being attacked by Breakker backstage last week, hence why Corbin spent a majority of the match on offense. I know they're capable of better together, but this was more about telling a story with Dragunov from underneath than it was about being a great match. Plus, Corbin's awful attire took me out of it. Why wouldn't they give him a makeover now that he's in NXT feuding with the NXT Champion? Breakker interfered and cost Dragunov the win to further that feud, but it hardly makes Corbin look like a threat.

Overall Show

Between Corbin, Ali, Brooke and now Los Lotharios, we're up to five people who have returned to NXT in recent weeks. I hope this doesn't become a recurring pattern because the brand should be focused on building up their own talent, but I understand this is their way of doing so. I don't hate the idea, but more needs to be done to rehab people like Corbin and Brooke. Just assuming people will care won't work. Nonetheless, this was the usual solid edition of NXT that set the stage for two notable Gold Rush episodes coming up on back-to-back weeks of NXT.

SEE MORE: NXT Reviews