WWE NXT Review - June 19, 2019

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

NXT North American Champion Velveteen Dream, Matt Riddle and Tyler Breeze Interrupted Undisputed Era

I'm not at all a fan of when Raw and SmackDown Live open with talking segments featuring the same Superstars every week, but it made sense for NXT to kick off with the new NXT Champion Adam Cole and his crew. They cut good promos establishing their dominance before being interrupted by Dream, Riddle and Breeze, who all played their roles well in this segment. The crowd being hot for everyone and everything that was said helped tremendously, too.

Damian Priest def. Raul Mendoza

I've been highly anticipating the NXT TV debut of the former Punishment Martinez since he was signed late last year, and although he has appeared on NXT TV before under his previous persona, this was his true debut with his new gimmick. Mendoza was probably the perfect person for him to face because of how exciting of an athlete he is. This was a very fun squash match for Priest that got him off to a strong start in NXT.

Xia Li def. Taynara Conti

Both of these ladies have come a long way since they made their respective debuts in the Mae Young Classic. It still feels like Li has a stereotypical Asian gimmick, but hey, if it works for her, then I have no complaints. She's a bit better in the ring it seems than Conti, who has a better character overall. This was a very nice showing from Li and Conti as they made great use of the time they were given and showcased their skills effectively. I'm looking forward to seeing them both continue to develop going forward.

Undisputed Era def. NXT North American Champion Velveteen Dream, Matt Riddle and Tyler Breeze

This was exactly the type of action-packed, fast-paced main event I was hoping for from these six stars. Kyle O'Reilly sat this one out, so I believe he's still nursing that back injury I've read about online. For the nine minutes this received, it was an absolute blast. Although Dream came across like a face here, he couldn't coexist fully with his partners and that was what cost him the victory. Strong pinning Dream should set him up for a future shot at the NXT North American Championship.

Overall Show

Leave it to NXT to rekindle my love for wrestling after the dumpster fires that were Raw and SmackDown. The main event was the best bout I saw on WWE TV all week, while Priest looked terrific in his debut. Even the brief women's match was well wrestled. The cool thing is that as awesome of an episode of NXT TV as this was, next week's looks to be equally entertaining with what's on tap: the beginning of the NXT Breakout Tournament, The Street Profits vs. The Forgotten Sons, and Shayna Baszler vs. Io Shirai in a Steel Cage match for the NXT Women's Championship. Let the road to TakeOver: Toronto II begin!