WWE NXT Review - May 28, 2024

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Ava and Sexyy Red Unveiled the NXT Women's North American Championship

I know absolutely nothing about Red other than that she's a rapper and has been tweeting about NXT in recent weeks. Perhaps she's legitimately a wrestling fan, but I couldn't care less about her, personally. The best thing I can say about her involvement in this segment is that it was kept short and sweet. The new North American title for the belt looks exactly as you'd expect, but it's still a pretty nice belt.

Michin def. Tatum Paxley to Qualify for the NXT Women's North American Championship Ladder Match at Battleground

This was easily the most unpredictable qualifier there's been. Michin is a main roster talent and shouldn't have lost here (especially with the way she's been underutilized on Raw and SmackDown), but Paxley had been prominently featured for a few months as part of the program with Lyra Valkyria and Roxanne Perez and even contended for the NXT Women's Championship at Spring Breakin'. Now, she's directionless and won't be at Battleground. That's a bummer. This was a well-worked match.

Ridge Holland def. Riley Osborne

As I've said almost every week for months now, I don't understand what Holland's character is supposed to be. I feel nothing but apathy toward the dude at this point. These two had a quality contest and I was surprised they received some time, but I'm much higher on Osborne's potential than Holland's and would have preferred to see him go over. The whole Chase U drama does nothing for me.

The O.C. (Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows) def. Edris Enofe and Malik Blade

The string of bad luck for Enofe and Blade continues. Ugh. What a stupid storyline. They're a talented team, but I've pretty much given up on the idea of them being utilized as anything more than an enhancement team. I was shocked this wasn't just a squash, but at least it was competitive. O.C. had to win as they'll be challenging Nathan Frazer and Axiom for the NXT Tag Team Championship at Battleground.

TNA Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace Was Revealed as NXT Women's Champion Roxanne Perez's Challenger at Battleground

Woah! What an awesome surprise. Grace made her WWE debut during the women's Royal Rumble match in January and I've been waiting for more collaboration between WWE and TNA since then. I fully expected Perez to face another main roster talent (Tegan Nox is rumored for an NXT return run), but Grace is obviously a much more appealing option. The crowd reacting to her like a massive deal was an encouraging sign, too. Not only am I excited for Perez vs. Grace, I'm looking forward to further crossovers between the two companies.

Lola Vice def. Arianna Grace

I'm not sure who the crowd was supposed to cheer for with both of them being heels, but it was wise to keep it on the shorter side because of that. It was a perfectly passable outing and it gave Vice a dominant win before she faces Shayna Baszler in the NXT Underground match at Battleground. By the way, what the hell happened to Grace's storyline with Gigi Dolin? It feels like it was dropped out of nowhere. At the very least, it's progressing at a snail's pace.

Dante Chen def. Lexis King

This was a rematch from last week where Chen came out as a surprise opponent for King and scored the upset win. I'm glad that Chen not only won for a second straight week but also that he got the video package treatment earlier in the episode. He's very likable and I hope this push isn't short-lived. There wasn't much to the match, but between Chen winning in fluky fashion and King attacking him afterward, their rivalry seems to be just getting started.

Kiana James def. Wren Sinclair to Qualify for the NXT Women's North American Championship Ladder Match at Battleground

I've praised Sinclar in other promotions in the past, but she's largely been portrayed as a generic underdog so far who never wins. Thus, there was zero question that James was winning here, and she should excel in the Ladder match environment a lot like Sol Ruca. This was a pretty basic bout at only three minutes long, but James got to showcase her skills a bit and the outcome was the correct one.

NXT Champion Trick Williams and Je'Von Evans def. Gallus (Joe Coffey and Mark Coffey)

I dig the pairing of Williams and Evans as they have good chemistry together and it puts Evans in a prominent position on the show. I don't know why this match needed to happen if Joe will be busy with the NXT North American Championship at Battleground, but it was a solid main event, nonetheless. The focus was on the post-match angle with Ethan Page debuting, revealing himself as the one behind the attacks of Noam Dar and Oro Mensah, and then attacking Williams. I totally forgot he was a free agent and it's cool to see him in NXT so soon. He's a fantastic fit for the brand and I hope he's given more chances to shine compared to his time in AEW.

Overall Show

I've been saying since Spring Breakin' that NXT is seriously lacking depth and the arrivals of Grace and Page on this episode help with that significantly. Granted, Grace isn't signed to NXT, but it might mean more NXT/TNA collaboration and that would be super beneficial to both brands. Meanwhile, Page is a great get for NXT and is a huge upgrade over Dar as number one contender to the NXT Championship. This was the best edition of NXT in weeks and the Battleground card on paper is much stronger than it was previously.

SEE MORE: NXT Reviews