WWE NXT Review - May 7, 2024

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Wes Lee def. Josh Briggs

Briggs was the perfect opponent for the returning Lee as they had a nice dynamic together due to the size difference. They had quality chemistry and the crowd was behind Lee throughout. The pre-match video package highlighting his NXT run, injury and return was well done. Briggs and Ivar interacting at ringside seems to indicate those two will be going one-on-one again soon. I'm happy Ivar's NXT return run isn't over yet despite losing to Oba Femi last week.

Shayna Baszler def. Karmen Petrovic

Despite Lola Vice beating Natalya in last week's NXT Underground match, I guess the feud isn't over yet. Ugh. Baszler being back in NXT doesn't mean what it should because her main roster run has been underwhelming. This was decent while it lasted. I'd say give Petrovic the win, but Baszler shouldn't be losing before her Queen of the Ring first-round match at a WWE live event this weekend.

Tyriek Igwe and Tyson Dupont def. No Quarter Catch Crew (Myles Borne and NXT Heritage Cup Champion Charlie Dempsey) (Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo Served as Special Guest Referee)

No Quarter Catch Crew wasn't all that interesting to begin with, but I'm almost positive they've lost every match they've had since Drew Gulak was dumped from the group. That's not to say they should've kept him around (I'm glad he's gone if recent reports about him are to be believed), but it's clear there aren't any plans in place for them aside from a feud with The D'Angelo Family. What a downgrade for The D'Angelo Family, by the way. As a match, this was fine.

Michin def. Arianna Grace

The O.C. has done absolutely nothing on SmackDown without AJ Styles this year, so I'm fine with Michin returning to NXT for a brief run where she can actually be utilized. The newer talent will benefit from working with her, too. Grace is still green, but at least she has the character stuff down. It was a fairly basic bout with a few rough spots, but it served as a successful reintroduction for Michin on the brand.

Noam Dar Attacked NXT Champion Trick Williams on Supernova Sessions

Anything related to The Meta-Four doesn't do much for me, but admittedly, they had me mildly intrigued following last week's cliffhanger with Williams and Lash Legend. Unfortunately, the reveal (Dar's foot being under the rope when he last wrestled Williams) was disappointing. I find Dar's promos to be channel-changing material, and it looks like we're going to be getting plenty more of them if this is going to be the NXT Championship feud heading into Battleground. You can't convince me Dar vs. Williams is worthy of headlining that event.

Fallon Henley def. Kelani Jordan

As I've said before, I'm all for the Henley heel turn, especially if it's going to make her one of the top stars in the women's division. I don't see her beating Roxanne Perez for the NXT Women's Championship, but why not have her win the NXT Women's North American Championship? She and Jordan had a competent contest. Jordan is improving with every outing and Henley is trying to find her footing in her new role.

Lexis King def. Andre Chase

This was the definition of a filler match. Chase has been down in developmental for what feels like forever and King has been treading water pretty much since arriving. There was nothing technically wrong with this, but it wasn't anything out of the ordinary, either. King had to win after beating Baron Corbin two weeks ago. Ridge Holland's character continues to be an absolute mess and nothing he's involved in feels remotely involvement.

NXT Women's Champion Roxanne Perez def. Chelsea Green

Green was such a random challenger for the NXT Women's Championship. She's done nothing to earn the opportunity and is a fellow heel. Yes, she's a main roster star, but that doesn't automatically make her credible. Don't get me wrong, Green is very entertaining and she had a well-worked match with Perez here, but I'm not sure what purpose this was supposed to serve. We also don't know who Perez will defend against at Battleground, but they have a month to figure that out.

Overall Show

I hate to sound pessimistic, but I have the feeling this show is going to be a chore to watch again for the next little while. There's plenty of potential with the current roster, so losing many of the bigger names to Raw and SmackDown has hurt NXT significantly. The problem is that I don't see too many people on the active roster being able to carry the brand going forward. There's Williams and Lee and I think Femi can be one of those guys eventually, but who else stands out? This was a serviceable edition of NXT and the stuff with the women's combine was at least something different, but I can't say the rest of the show inspired much excitement.

SEE MORE: NXT Reviews