WWE NXT Review - March 1, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

NXT Champion Bron Breakker and Tommaso Ciampa def. The Dirty Dawgs

It was so great seeing Roode come out to his "Glorious" entrance music for the first time in years. It meant more with this being his NXT in-ring return. I haven't cared about The Dirty Dawgs at all on the main roster, but they've felt fresh in NXT and they had an excellent match here with Breakker and Ciampa, who work wonderfully as a team. The action was entertaining and the crowd was hot for it. Ciampa pinning Ziggler was slightly surprising, though it was later revealed that it will be Breakker vs. Ziggler vs. Ciampa next week in a Triple Threat for the NXT Championship.

LA Knight Challenged Grayson Waller to a Last Man Standing Match

Man, Knight is so damn cool. He's obviously an excellent heel, but he's been fantastic as a babyface and he's extremely over as well. The main roster better come calling for Knight following WrestleMania 38. I really enjoyed this verbal exchange from him and Grayson Waller, who has also been killing it in his current role. This has been a fun feud to follow and I'm looking forward to their Last Man Standing match next week, but I have no idea why it's not being saved for Stand & Deliver.

Dakota Kai and Wendy Choo def. Indi Hartwell and Persia Pirotta in a Women's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Quarterfinal Match

I still find Choo's character to be limited without much upside, but at least she's making the most of it with her in-ring skills. There wasn't much to the match, but it was decent while it lasted. Choo and Kai could exceed expectations as a team and it would give Kai something substantial to do after the Dusty Classic is over, but she really belongs on the main roster at this point. Meanwhile, Hartwell and Pirotta could be heading for a split sooner rather than later if Duke Hudson continues to drive a wedge between them.

Lash Legend def. Amari Miller

This stemmed from Legend and Miller coming up short in their Dusty Classic quarterfinal match last week. Legend's matches have been very hit or miss in the past, but this honestly was one her better performances in my opinion. It was far from a super smooth outing, but it wasn't terrible either, so that was a plus. Legend still has plenty of room for improvement and I can't say I'm too thrilled about her feuding with someone as green as she is in Nikkita Lyons.

Gunther def. Solo Sikoa

This is another match that should have been built up a bit more and saved for a future live special. I think they got it out of the way early because Gunther might be challenging for the NXT Championship over the weekend, but if that's the case, I wouldn't have done it at all. This was solid yet disappointing. They only got around seven minutes and Sikoa didn't have a chance to prove he's anywhere near Gunther's level before eating defeat. I hope we see a rematch down the road and they can go all out.

Harland def. Draco Anthony

Anthony has essentially settled into an enhancement role on NXT TV, which is a shame because he's talented from what I've seen. That said, Harland has potential as well and I'm glad we're getting to see more of him in the ring lately. He had a few minutes to shine here, but it wasn't like he blew me away with anything he did. Harland and Joe Gacy are the only people who appear on NXT as much as they do without actually being involved in a storyline.

Raquel Gonzalez and Cora Jade def. Yulisa Leon and Valentina Feroz in a Women's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Quarterfinal Match

The quarterfinal match earlier in the evening could have gone either way, but this was way more one-sided. Gonzalez and Jade have been getting the vignette treatment for a while now, so there was no reason to think they were losing here. Gonzalez and Jade showed nice chemistry as partners and I was impressed by the athleticism and innovation from Leon and Feroz. Gonzalez and Jade are my pick to win the whole thing.

Von Wagner def. Andre Chase

This feud has been the absolute worst. Chase is way too campy for me, Robert Stone is a goof, and Wagner is just abysmal. Maybe it's better they're all involved in the same segments so it's easier for viewers to fast-forward through them for those not watching live. In all seriousness, this wasn't necessarily a bad match, but it didn't pique my interest any. Here's hoping this was intended to be the end of the program so we won't be subjected to any more matches between them.

NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes def. Pete Dunne

I remember these two previously squaring off late last year and it being a top-notch match. This was also superb stuff, though they were seemingly short on time. Dunne has rarely been beaten over the last year and a half, so it was definitely a big deal for Hayes to beat him here. He announced afterward that he'll be defending the title in a Ladder match at Stand & Deliver. NXT goes overboard with the Ladder matches, but I'm sure it will be a blast, regardless.

Overall Show

​We got official confirmation on this show that Stand & Deliver will be happening April 2nd, the morning of WrestleMania 38: Night 1. However, I have no clue what they planned for that show seeing as how they're giving away some of their biggest matches before then on free TV. It's cool that next week's show will be Roadblock-themed, even if it is a bit random. As for this episode, the advertised stuff delivered and made the two hours worthwhile, but it wasn't without its hiccups from the lesser experienced up-and-comers. Some of these people aren't remotely ready for TV and should probably send some more time on Level Up for further development.

SEE MORE: NXT Reviews