WWE NXT Review - May 17, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

NXT North American Champion Cameron Grimes and Solo Sikoa def. Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams

It was announced over the weekend that Grimes will defend his NXT North American Championship against Hayes at In Your House. I'm glad Sikoa was a part of this match because of his involvement in the feud lately, but despite him pinning Hayes here, it wouldn't make sense for him to be added considering he's already failed to win the title three times since Stand & Deliver. Also, why was Hayes pinned instead of Williams? Other than that, this was an enjoyable opener.

Lash Legend def. Tatum Paxley in an NXT Women's Breakout Tournament First-Round Match

​Paxley has impressed me the more I've seen her compete, so if she can continue to improve, she may potential. The same goes for Legend, though her matches have been very hit or miss so far. They were smart to keep this on the shorter side, though I can't say anything they did stood out to me in a major way. I actually would have preferred to see Paxley pull out the upset and advance, but Legend winning was expected.

NXT Champion Bron Breakker Accepted Joe Gacy's Challenge

I stupidly thought this feud was over after Breakker beat Gacy at Spring Breakin', but that was clearly not the case. Simply put, this storyline has sucked. It's dragging down Breakker and has actually been a step backward for Gacy. While I applaud their effort in trying to make the most of the material they had to work with, there wasn't anything redeeming about this segment at all. You don't want your NXT title feud being the worst thing on the show.

The Viking Raiders def. The Creed Brothers

This was a rematch from a few weeks ago. I thoroughly enjoyed that encounter and this was along the same lines as that hoss fight. Viking Raiders may mean nothing at this point in WWE, but they can still clearly go in the ring and Creed Brothers are coming into their own as well. Creed Brothers wanted to win on their own, but that didn't stop Roderick Strong from attempting to interfere anyway. That was what cost Creed Brothers the win in the end, which gets us another step closer to Diamond Mine's looming breakup. It is weird that Creed Brothers lost before they challenge Pretty Deadly for the NXT Tag Team Championship at In Your House, but at least it made sense with the story they're telling.

Grayson Waller def. Andre Chase

Waller feuding with Chase and his Chase U goofs doesn't interest me at all. Are we sure this is the same guy who attacked Johnny Gargano on his last night in NXT and took AJ Styles to the limit soon after? Granted, he beat Chase here, but he really should be doing more in my opinion. The crowd was into this more than I was, but I will say that it was a nice match. I hope this is the end of the line for this feud.

Roxanne Perez def. Kiana James in an NXT Women's Breakout Tournament First-Round Match

I've seen James in action a few times on Level Up and she's certainly not ready for television yet. Maybe she'll be something someday, but this gimmick of hers is awful and reminds me of AEW's Leva Bates as The Librarian (and that's not a compliment). It was a pretty basic bout and I wouldn't have minded it if it was slightly shorter, but the important thing is that Perez has advanced to the next round.

Wes Lee vs. Nathan Frazer Ended in a No Contest

I guess Lee was supposed to face Xyon Quinn this week, but Quinn was once again not cleared to compete, so he took on Frazer instead. Both guys are an absolute blast to watch in the ring, so unsurprisingly, this was a lot of fun while it lasted. Von Wagner crashed the party by attacking both men and throwing Lee over the tope rope and on top of the commentary table on the outside, which was a hell of a visual. This plays into reports that Frazer will be Lee's new tag team partner.

Santos Escobar def. Tony D'Angelo

I've found the whole faction warfare crap with D'Angelo's group and Legado del Fantasma to be pretty dumb, to be honest. However, I was looking forward to this match because Escobar is excellent and D'Angelo has proven he can hold his own against a variety of competitors. Both guys are heels the last time I checked, but this was enjoyable enough. There were some shenanigans at ringside that led to Escobar picking up the victory, but it was the right outcome since Escobar tends to be used as a setup guy for other people.

Overall Show

The best news to come out of this episode was that NXT is returning to live touring this summer. That should help give the newer people the experience they need. The gimmicks on this show continue to be atrocious and hurt this show significantly, but there is some stuff worth getting excited about like the North American title picture, Diamond Mine's slow breakup, and this newfound team of Lee and Frazer. Breakker vs. Gacy is a lousy feud and I'm not at all anticipating the rematch, but I'm hoping the rest of the card for In Your House delivers.

SEE MORE: NXT Reviews