WWE NXT Review - May 4, 2021

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Isiah "Swerve" Scott def. Leon Ruff in a Falls Count Anywhere Match

I knew this was going to be a fun match based off how enjoyable their last encounter was, but I didn't expect them to go all out the way they did. This was an absolute blast and a hell of an opener to the show. I'm not a fan of Ruff scoring the occasional big win over people who shouldn't be losing to him (such as Scott and Timothy Thatcher), but the fact of the matter is that it makes sense given he's a former NXT North American Champion and should be winning once in a while. Thankfully, Scott once again beat him here. AJ Francis, who has been seen in the background of Scott's recording studio during his recent promos, aided Scott to victory and I love the idea of Scott having his own stable. Again, this was a wild match and easily the best either guy has had in NXT to date.

Cameron Grimes def. Asher Hale

I wasn't sold on Grimes' new gimmick originally, but he's quickly won me over with it and the vignettes he's been doing outside of the ring have helped tremendously. He's always been skilled inside the ring, but he just needed that extra character boost and he's definitely hit his stride in that respect. As for Hale, he scored more offense than I was expecting and had a solid showing in defeat. Apparently he's the former Anthony Henry, who signed with WWE earlier this year. He gave me Darby Allin vibes and has potential.

Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher def. Grizzled Young Veterans

These two teams previously clashed in the men's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic back in February, so I knew this would be another hard-hitting affair from them. Sure enough, they beat the hell out of each other and had a quality contest. Although I'd prefer to see Grizzled Young Veterans back in the title picture right now feuding with MSK, I understand Ciampa and Thatcher haven't gotten a crack at the straps yet and need to win every so often as well. If we're headed to them against MSK, that should be terrific.

NXT Champion Karrion Kross Brawled with Finn Balor, Kyle O'Reilly and Pete Dunne Before Being Ambushed by The Way

We haven't seen a ton of Kross on NXT TV since he became champion, so this was a terrific way of introducing a slew of challengers for him. Granted, it isn't anyone that's necessarily new to the title scene, but any one of them would be welcome opponents for Kross. Kross came across like a total star with his promo and I'd honestly love to see him defend the title in a Fatal 4-Way against Balor, O'Reilly and Dunne. I genuinely don't know where this is going and that's what excites me about it.

Sarray def. Zayda Ramier

Sarray and Ramier are both coming off notable victories. It will be interesting to see if Ramier only beat Toni Storm so she could lose to Sarray here or if she'll actually be regularly featured going forward. Either way, this was a nice match while it lasted. Ramier is impressive, but like Sarray, she needs more character development for fans to care. We know they can go in the ring and are off to strong starts in NXT, but hopefully we get to know more about them in the weeks ahead.

LA Knight def. Jake Atlas

Giving Knight a mic as he walked to the ring was a smart call. He's a good wrestler, but his promos are where he really shines. He seems to be finding his footing in NXT and this was another entertaining outing from him. Props to Atlas for selling his offense so well as he's very talented in his own right. Other than his short-lived rivalry with Bronson Reed a few months ago, Knight hasn't had a defining feud yet, so hopefully that comes sooner rather than later.

Santos Escobar Accepted NXT Cruiserweight Champion Kushida's Championship Challenge for Next Week

Legado del Fantasma beat Kushida and MSK in last week's main event, so you had to know they were coming to collect on this show. Sure enough, Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde put the NXT Tag Team Champions on notice while Escobar addressed Kushida. Not only did Kushida challenge Escobar to a title rematch next week, we found out later in the show that it will be contested under two-out-of-three falls. Give those guys the time and I have no doubt they'll steal the show.

NXT Women's Champion Raquel Gonzalez and Mercedes Martinez Exchanged Words

Although the build to this bout has felt a little rushed and arguably should have been saved for later in the month, I'm looking forward to their NXT Women's Championship clash next week on the show after their interaction here. Martinez has been more of the babyface than Gonzalez, which is weird because Gonzalez came off like a babyface when she encountered Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair last month. Despite that, the actual mic work from both women here was solid. I'm glad Martinez has been getting more the spotlight recently after disappearing for a bit after TakeOver: Vengeance Day.

The Way (Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell) def. Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart in a Street Fight to Win the NXT Women's Tag Team Championship

I maintain that, despite how stacked the division is, tag titles for the women of NXT are unnecessary (they're bound to run out of matches to do eventually), but this was an awesome main event that definitely made the titles feel important. We see hardcore matches all the time in wrestling, but there aren't a ton of them with the women in all of these different promotions and this was among the best I've seen. They put forth an outstanding effort, more than made the most of the stipulation and kept the crowd engaged the entire time. Considering The Way already lost to Blackheart and Moon on multiple occasions, the title change needed to happen.

Overall Show

The three biggest things that were advertised coming into this show were the NXT Women's Tag Team Championship match, Scott vs. Ruff, and Balor's return. All three of those things delivered in my opinion, specifically those matches. The opener was excellent while the women killed it in the main event. We also have a better idea of who the NXT Championship picture will consist of for the foreseeable future. Knight, Sarray, Grimes, and Ciampa and Thatcher picked up key wins and the hype for next week's show was well done. I'm happy NXT is starting to advertise stuff a week out, but it's weird they weren't already doing that when they were airing opposite of AEW Dynamite on Wednesdays. Nonetheless, strong show from NXT this week as the brand continues to hit its stride on Tuesday nights.