WWE NXT Review - November 7, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

NXT Heritage Cup Champion Noam Dar def. Akira Tozawa

Tozawa has been stalking Dar for a few weeks now (including in last week's dumb haunted house skits) and apparently that was enough to earn him an opportunity at the title. Why'd he waste his time competing in September's NXT Global Heritage Invitational? In all seriousness, this was fine for what it was, but I don't think anyone actually viewed Tozawa as a legitimate threat to the title because he's been a comedy character for so long.

Xia Li Confronted NXT Women's Champion Lyra Valkyria

Valkyria has yet to click as a character, but at least she's done a better job of connecting with the crowd the past few months. She's been built up nicely and her win over Becky Lynch at Halloween Havoc was a huge endorsement over her. The key now is capitalizing on that. There was nothing out of the ordinary about this segment, but it did seem to tease a potential match between Valkyria and Li. Li shouldn't be losing before she eventually faces Becky Lynch, so I question booking that bout if that's where this is headed.

Tiffany Stratton def. Fallon Henley to Qualify for the Women's Iron Survivor Challenge Match at Deadline

These two were originally slated to face off last week, but Stratton attacked Henley before the bell and their match never materialized. They have history dating back to last year's NXT Women's Breakout Tournament and it's cool to see how far they've come since then, specifically Stratton. Despite the crowd sitting on their hands for a majority of it, they had a well-wrestled match and were given an ample amount of time. Stratton is a perfect fit for the women's Iron Survivor Challenge match.

Bron Breakker def. Von Wagner

This whole program between Breakker and Wagner has been so bizarre and has lasted way too long. It's clear to me that NXT has no idea what to do with Breakker at this point and are just waiting for his inevitable main roster call-up. I guess the same can be said for Wagner, who is technically a "free agent" after this year's WWE Draft. By my count, they've had three matches in the last year and Breakker has won them all. The matches are competent enough, but why keep running this back? Wagner again put Breakker through a table afterward, so I have to assume a Tables match is the endgame.

Kelani Jordan and Roxanne Perez def. Elektra Lopez and Lola Vice

I like the idea of Perez serving as a mentor of sorts to the NXT Women's Breakout Tournament runner-up given that she won the last one. Maybe this means she's taking the role Dana Brooke had and will turn on her at some point? It'd at least give her something to do. The match itself was acceptable but unsurprisingly rough at points. Karmen Petrovic dropping Arianna Grace on the ramp was random, but I'm glad it gets them on television post-tourney.

Otis def. Drew Gulak

The rest of Alpha Academy accompanied Tozawa in the opener, which led to Gulak's group confronting them backstage afterward. This was an impromptu match that did not need to happen. Otis woke up the crowd with his usual antics and there was nothing technically wrong with this, but I'm not sure what purpose this was supposed to serve since both guys are established and have nothing to gain from beating the other.

Dijak def. Tyler Bate to Qualify for the Men's Iron Survivor Challenge Match at Deadline

I'm a fan of both guys and knew they'd deliver the great match they were capable of. Neither of them are busy at the moment, so hopefully Bate can find his way into the match via a second chance qualifier. This had enjoyable action and they worked really well together. I'd definitely be down for Ilja Dragunov and Dijak rekindling their rivalry if Dijak wins the Iron Survivor Challenge, this time over the NXT Championship.

Lexis King Interrupted Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes

I thought we'd get into the reveal of Hayes being the one who attacked Williams, but obviously not, and I honestly hate the approach they're taking instead. It'll probably end up being Hayes, but it's possible they throw a curveball and go with King or someone else. Speaking of King, his promos are hit or miss and this fell in the latter category. He didn't sound natural out there, and while I believe he has potential, he definitely needs to work on his mic skills. This segment was well done and planted more seeds of dissension between Williams and Hayes with Williams accidentally striking Hayes.

Overall Show

Mick Foley (via a video he filmed from home) announced this week's Iron Survivor Challenge matches and Lita will have the honor of doing so next week. I thought that was a cool touch. This felt like a cool-down show coming off the two nights of Halloween Havoc, but it was necessary in building toward Deadline (which I intend to be in attendance for) next month. I'm excited for Dragunov vs. Baron Corbin, the Hayes and Williams storyline has my attention, and the women continue to be prominently featured. The qualifiers will also give more matches meaning in the weeks ahead.

SEE MORE: NXT Reviews