WWE NXT Review - May 10, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

NXT Women's Tag Team Champions Toxic Attraction (Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jane) def. Roxanne Perez and Wendy Choo

I'm sorry but this storyline has sucked. To think that NXT rushed into Mandy Rose vs. Dakota Kai and fired Kai a few weeks later so they could instead put Rose in a program with Choo is mind-boggling to me. Choo's a good worker, but the gimmick is abysmal and everything they've done in recent weeks has been dumb. This was a solid opener, but I hate that Perez took the pin and not Choo. Perez is the one they should be building to challenging Rose, not Choo.

Joe Gacy Addressed NXT Champion Bron Breakker

I didn't have an issue with this rivalry when it started, but it's been pretty bad in recent weeks and I was hoping they'd move on from it after Breakker beat Gacy at Spring Breakin'. Sadly, it's not over yet. To his credit, he makes the most of the material he's given to say in his promos, but this isn't leading anywhere interesting. The inexplicable involvement of the druids has been beyond dumb and has not left me looking forward to a rematch at all.

Fallon Henley def. Sloane Jacobs in an NXT Women's Breakout Tournament Quarterfinal Match

The bracket for this tourney was revealed right before this bout started, and it looks like half of the women have already been established on NXT TV. Henley isn't incredibly experienced, but I assume she has much more experience than the 19-year-old Jacobs. That said, this was better than I thought it would be. They gave it a commendable effort, Jacobs had a solid showing, and Henley carried the contest. Henley was the right choice to advance, but Jacobs could have potential if she can continue to improve.

Alba Fyre def. Amari Miller

As I said in a recent review of NXT Level Up, I honestly didn't notice Miller was out of action for a few months. Obviously, Fyre is the former Kay Lee Ray. She was rebranded with a new name and she debuted a new look and entrance theme here as well. It was an unnecessary change, but as long as they push and feature her, that's all I really care about. The question is, what is there for her to strive for after already unsuccessfully challenging Rose for the NXT Women's Championship? Does she get put in a feud with one of the NXT 2.0 girls just to put them over? She looked good in her return here, if nothing else.

Solo Sikoa Saved NXT North American Champion Cameron Grimes From Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams

Last week's Triple Threat for the NXT North American Championship was excellent, but I don't know why Hayes and especially Sikoa are still in the mix for the title. I know Hayes hasn't been pinned since losing the title at Stand & Deliver, but Sikoa has literally fallen short of becoming champion three times since then, including being pinned twice. I'm a big fan of the guy, but why would he deserve another shot? The segment served its purpose, but the crowd beginning to boo Grimes makes zero sense. He was the biggest babyface on the brand a few short months ago, but 

Sarray and Andre Chase def. Tiffany Stratton and Grayson Waller

I simply can't see Sarray lasting long in NXT. She just doesn't fit the mold for what this brand seems to be going for with its women, but I hope I'm wrong. As for Chase, I'm among those who couldn't care less about the character because he's a comedy goof. Stratton's gimmick is awful, but she is getting better in the ring, while Waller is the one with the most promise of everyone involved. This was well worked, but the crowd seemed to enjoy the action more than I did.

Nikkita Lyons def. Arianna Grace in an NXT Women's Breakout Tournament Quarterfinal Match

Grace is the real-life daughter of Santino Marella and wrestled her first match for NXT on Level Up a week or two ago. She has a bit more experience than some of the other athletes WWE has signed in recent months, so hopefully that will bode well for her. She scored some offense, but this basic bout was mostly about Lyons, who has been a fan favorite since her first match on the brand a few months ago. Her making it further in the tourney was expected and I wouldn't be surprised if she won the whole thing.

Natalya def. Cora Jade

Since this has been building for the past month, it would have bene nice if it was advertised in advance. The video package that aired beforehand recapping Jade's fandom for Natalya was well done, though. Although Natalya does nothing for me, Jade will benefit from working with her, more than she would working with other lesser-experienced women on the NXT roster. They worked well together and the match only got better once they picked up the pace in the second half. Jade more than held her own and had the crowd behind her by the end. She loses nothing in defeat after the performance she put in (and her passing out instead of tapping out was an appreciated touch), but hopefully she can avenge the loss at some point. Then again, Natalya hugging her afterward might mean this angle is over. This was a strong main event and likely one of the best matches I've seen Natalya ever have.

Overall Show

It wasn't until the end of the episode that I realized that there was a ton of female presence on this show. Seriously, all six matches had female involvement, which is pretty impressive considering this wasn't advertised as being an all-women's show or anything like that. Of course, the division needs a lot of work and has fallen far from where it was even a year ago, but I did want to give credit where it's due. This wasn't an amazing show by any means, but I've seen worse from this brand since the relaunch. Certain storylines are trash, but these two hours were more bearable than usual and it helped that the night capped off with an above-average match.

SEE MORE: NXT Reviews