WWE NXT Review - June 6, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Ilja Dragunov Confronted Baron Corbin

It's going to take a lot for fans to be able to take Corbin seriously again, but this was a great first promo from him. He established why he's back on the brand and came off as more motivated than he has in a long time. I got excited when Dragunov interrupted because I think those two could have killer chemistry together. It was made official for this show until Bron Breakker attacked Dragunov backstage, postponing it for another time. This was a really good segment and I'm looking forward to their match next week.

Schism (Ava and The Dyad) def. Diamond Mine (Ivy Nile and The Creed Brothers)

It's hilarious that The Dyad have gotten more television time since they made it public a few months ago that they want their releases from WWE. Granted, they've done a lot of losing, but they did win here. This was a solid six-person tag team match to further the feud between Ava and Nile. Unfortunately, I don't think the eventual singles match will be very good based on what we saw from Ava in this matchup. She's just not remotely ready in the ring.

Blair Davenport def. Dani Palmer

Davenport is a strong addition to the NXT women's division at a time when it could use more depth coming off all the injuries and call-ups. Palmer is serviceable, but it feels like she'll be a stepping stone for others for now. This was a standard showcase for Danveport, though I would've preferred Davenport being a bit more dominant than she was. As we saw during the Battle Royal later on, her first feud back will be with Roxanne Perez, which I like a lot.

Baron Corbin def. Trick Williams

Williams attacked Corbin at the end of the opening segment after Corbin laid out Carmelo Hayes last week. Williams is improving week by week and I thought he held his own just fine here. It was a well-worked match with Corbin targeting William's injured knee and that being what led to him hitting End of Days. Corbin just needs updated music and attire because he doesn't feel intimidating in the slightest in his current state.

Mustafa Ali def. Joe Gacy

I'm all for Ali his working his way toward a shot at the NXT North American Championship. Him against Wes Lee should be a blast. He had to win his first match back in NXT and Gacy was a logical name for him to beat. I'm just surprised this was as short as it was, especially when the rest of Schism won earlier. Lee and Tyler Bate made the save for Ali afterwar, setting up next week's six-man tag team match.

Eddy Thorpe def. Damon Kemp

This was a rematch from last month. Kemp believed Thorpe cheated to win their first encounter, and Thorpe won again here with Kemp's feet touching the ropes. Thus, a third match is likely. It protected Kemp in defeat, so there was that. This was a decent match for what it was, but it was too short to be anything other than average. I do feel they're capable of having a better matchup with more time, though.

Scrypts def. Dabba-Kato

Scrypts is still going by that silly name even though he's basically back to being Reggie. Apparently, the name has ties to his past, so I'm willing to get over it. He and Axiom appear to be allies now that they've put their differences aside. Kato has mostly been protected since returning to NXT, so I was surprised he lost here even if it was in fluky fashion. Kato stood tall over Scrypts and Axiom afterward, so the feud will continue.

Thea Hail Won an NXT Women's Championship No. 1 Contender's Battle Royal

I thought Hail had a chance of winning since she was the first person to interrupt Tiffany Stratton's championship celebration last week, but then Dana Brooke became my new prediction once she was shown entering the arena earlier in the episode. We'll see if Brooke sticks around, but perhaps she'll still contend for the title eventually. This was your average Battle Royal that planted the seeds for several future matches and had a solid final stretch.

Overall Show

This show had the tall task of topping last week's eventful edition, and while it wasn't nearly as newsworthy, it was a quality follow-up show. No matches stood out, but Corbin and Ali looked good and there was the usual effective storyline progression and character development. In addition to Corbin vs. Dragunov, it also looks like we might be getting Bron Breakker vs. Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship next week based on Breakker's challenge to Rollins that closed this show. That instantly makes next week's episode must-see.

SEE MORE: NXT Reviews