WWE NXT Review - November 28, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

NXT Tag Team Champions The Family def. Angel Garza and Humberto Carrillo

The Family regained the gold from Chase U only a few weeks ago, so I honestly didn't think the titles were in jeopardy of changing hands here. Despite that, they had a very good match. Garza and Carrillo are obviously super talented and The Family can go when they drop the stereotypical silliness. This match felt like it came out of nowhere, so it does leave me wondering if Garza and Carrillo are being fast-tracked back to the main roster to align with Santos Escobar as has been rumored recently.

Kelani Jordan def. Kiana James to Qualify for the Women's Iron Survivor Challenge Match at Deadline

It was pretty clear Jordan was winning here after James cost Roxanne Perez her qualifier two weeks ago. Sure enough, Jordan won following a distraction from Perez at ringside. Despite James improving from she was a year ago and Jordan having potential, their match was average at best and a bit boring at times. I doubt Jordan wins the Iron Survivor Challenge, but she can have a standout showing. Meanwhile, a rematch between Perez vs. James seems likely for Deadline.

Bron Breakker def. Eddy Thorpe to Qualify for the Men's Iron Survivor Challenge Match at Deadline

It pains me to see Breakker spinning his wheels right now when he's been main roster ready for at least six months. Even Thorpe has been directionless as of late. I guess that made the outcome unpredictable, but Breakker going over was the better bet being a former NXT Champion. Thorpe was able to score plenty of offense before eating defeat and they had an enjoying outing. Does this automatically make Breakker the odds-on favorite to win at Deadline?

NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov def. Nathan Frazer (Non-Title)

Frazer would have been perfect for the Iron Survivor Challenge match if they had the slightest idea of what to do with him, but an opportunity to face the NXT Champion isn't a bad spot to be in. Okay, this was basically a glorified squash for Dragunov, but they did have a really fun sprint. Run this back eventually, give them more time and let them cook (as the kids say these days). I've been digging Dragunov's feud with Baron Corbin's feud heading into Deadline and I liked Corbin's promo that aired on the big screen afterward.

Arianna Grace def. Karmen Petrovic

NXT has done an effective job of developing the characters of both women with vignettes last week and this week. Grace has played her role extremely well so far and Petrovic has shown upside in the ring. This felt like a match you'd see on Level Up in that it was fairly basic, but I appreciate that they were given some time (despite a majority of it airing during the commercial break). Joe Gacy randomly emerged from under the ring and stole the ring bell, so that was a thing that happened.

Lexis King def. Brooks Jensen

King brought up backstage how Jensen was the only one of his little group to not receive an Iron Survivor Challenge qualifier, so we'll see if that leads to any tension with Jensen and Josh Briggs post-Deadline or if that line was solely designed to set this match up. They had a well-worked match and Carmelo Hayes' attempted interference backfired to give King the win. Hayes vs. King is a logical addition to the Deadline card.

Wes Lee def. Cameron Grimes, Bronson Reed and Johnny Gargano in an NXT North American Championship No. 1 Contender's Fatal 4-Way Match

Of course, there was never any doubt that Lee was winning after that segment he had with Dominik Mysterio last week, but this was still a very entertaining main event featuring three familiar faces to the NXT audience. The crowd was hot for this thanks to the incorporation of main roster star power and the fast-paced action was excellent, a small taste of what the black-and-gold version of NXT used to offer. Ah, those were the days. Ivar popping up at the end to cost Reed the win and further that feud was a cool touch.

Overall Show

The card for Deadline continues to come together nicely. Perez vs. James and/or King vs. Hayes still need made official, but next week we'll find out who will occupy the final spots in the Iron Survivor Challenge matches. This was a thumbs-up show with better wrestling than last week and more solid storyline progression. No shocking outcomes, but the night started and ending strong. NXT continues to be a treat to tune into most weeks.

SEE MORE: NXT Reviews