WWE NXT Review - May 11, 2021

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

NXT Champion Karrion Kross def. Austin Theory (Non-Title)

I'm convinced Kross is a tweener at this point. He's gone after heels such as Santos Escobar and now Theory and he's made enemies out of Kyle O'Reilly and Finn Balor. Speaking of Balor, he emerged afterward and challenged Kross to a rematch for the NXT Championship, which I assume we'll get in the main event of TakeOver: In Your House next month. Kross vs. Theory was exactly wat it needed to be: a glorified squash.

NXT Tag Team Champions MSK def. Breezango (Non-Title)

I've said this before, but the Breezango act is beyond tired. Fandango and Tyler Breeze are skilled wrestlers, but they've long overstayed their welcome as a team and NXT has enough tag teams at this point where Breezango is no longer needed. I hope their latest loss leads to them going their separate ways (not turning heel) because Breeze still has value on his own. With all of that said, this was a very fun sprint.

Pete Dunne def. Leon Ruff

Ruff demanded William Regal a match on this show, Regal refused and Ruff wrestled anyway by attacking Dunne from behind. Despite that, Dunne won within a matter of minutes. This was another very enjoyable affair while it lasted. Ruff always looks good in defeat and sells everyone's stuff well, while Dunne's hard-hitting offense is always a treat. This gave Dunne a necessary win as he continues to be rebuilt.

NXT Women's Champion Raquel Gonzalez def. Mercedes Martinez

Gonzalez has improved immensely over the last year while Martinez is one of the best NXT has, so this was unsurprisingly a quality contest. Due to the rushed build, I never bought into the possibility of Martinez winning the title, but the action was entertaining and she had a strong enough showing in defeat where she won't lose much from this. It's worth noting that Gonzalez showed respect to Martinez backstage in a WWE.com video and Dakota Kai's reaction was very interesting. I assume Gonzalez vs. Martinez was done on TV so Gonzalez vs. Kai could happen at TakeOver.

Hit Bow Introduced Themselves to the NXT Universe

Isiah "Swerve" Scott's new stable has officially arrived. I love the idea of him having his own group of guys (and girl) as I think it compliments his current character well. Everyone else in his stable needs work on the mic, and I wish they'd stay silent when someone was talking, but on the whole, this was a nice introduction for them. Scott is bound to benefit from the faction and it finally feels like he's found his footing with what he's doing right now. As long as the booking is kind to him and he avoid the start-and-stop pushes he's been subjected to so far in NXT, he can be successful.

Kyle O'Reilly def. Oney Lorcan

Although Lorcan had Dunne in his corner here, he's pretty much stuck in limbo until Danny Burch returns from injury, and who knows when that will be. On the bright side, he's been featured a few fun singles matches and that was once again the case here. The outcome was never in doubt, but it was a hard-hitting and highly physical affair while it lasted. It also served to set up the post-match angle with Bobby Fish making his long-awaited return and saving O'Reilly from a beatdown. O'Reilly told Fish he's doing his own thing right now, so I'm curious where that will go. Maybe Fish gets jealous and turns on O'Reilly?

NXT Cruiserweight Champion Kushida def. Santos Escobar in a 2-Out-of-3 Falls Match

NXT has had a handful of classic two-out-of-three falls matches over the years, most notably at TakeOver: Toronto, TakeOver: New York and on NXT TV between Cesaro and Sami Zayn in 2013 (talk about a throwback). I didn't like Kushida winning the second fall so soon after Escobar won the first, but otherwise, this was an excellent match with strong work from both men. They clearly have chemistry together and it was awesome seeing the Cruiserweight title spotlighted in the main event for a change. With Kushida winning decisively, I hope Escobar will move on to bigger and better things and not stay put in the Cruiserweight division.

Overall Show

I was stoked to hear the news that In Your House is being brought back for the next TakeOver special on June 13. Last year's installment was a blast and I hope it becomes an annual staple on the TakeOver schedule, even once NXT starts running packed buildings again. Meanwhile, this was another top-notch edition of NXT TV. Both title matches delivered and the rest of the show as filled with well-wrestled matches, successful storyline progression and effective build for the next few weeks' worth of shows. I maintain that both NXT and AEW have been putting on some of their best content since going to different nights. That makes me wish NXT made the move to Tuesdays sooner!