WWE NXT Review - October 29, 2024

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Tatum Paxley def. Wendy Choo in a Casket Match

This was the first-ever women's Casket match in WWE history, which is pretty cool. Choo hasn't had a very good last few days between being betrayed by Rosemary at TNA Bound for Glory and now losing here, but maybe that means she'll be written off television for a little while. They made this work, so it exceeded expectations. I was happy to see Paxley win a somewhat meaningful matchup for a change.

Bubba Ray Dudley Declined NXT Champion Trick Williams' Tag Team Offer

Bubba Ray being in NXT feels weird, but NXT will be in the ECW Arena next week, so for a brief period, I get it. Plus, both he and Williams played their roles well in this segment. Yes, Bubba Ray went back on his word later on (more on that later), but the crowd clearly showed interest during this segment in wanting to see him team with Williams next week. This was solid stuff.

NXT Heritage Cup Champion Charlie Dempsey def. Lexis King

King is apparently a babyface now. Uhm, okay, I guess. He plays the role of annoying heel well, but maybe they felt the need to switch things up with him because he wasn't building any momentum before the character change. This was a well-worked match between him and Dempsey, but the best part was William Regal being in King's corner and his facial expressions. We'll see how that story plays out and if he can lead King to the title eventually.

Zaria def. Brinley Reece

Zaria has been presented as nothing but a star so far and that continued here with a wonderful showcase. It was exactly what it needed to be. Props to Reece for selling so well for her offense (this is after she did the job at Bound for Glory, too). Post-match, we got an Avengers-esque team-up with Zaria, Kelani Jordan, Giulia, Stephanie Vaquer and Jordynne Grace leveling Fatal Influence, Roxanne Perez and Cora Jade. I know they announced a 10-woman tag team match for next week's show, but I'd definitely be down for women's WarGames at Survivor Series instead.

Kelani Jordan def. Nikkita Lyons

I believe this was Lyons' second match back on NXT TV and although she looked better than when she faced Lola Vice, she still didn't have the strongest showing. Granted, I'm biased because I'm just not a fan, but I also don't see the point in pushing her when there are so many other talented women with more potential. The match was fine and accomplished what it needed to with Adriana Rizzo costing Lyons the win by distracting her.

NXT Champion Trick Williams Saved Bubba Ray Dudley From Ethan Page and Ridge Holland

This was essentially an extension of the segment from earlier and it was well done. Bubba Ray again held his own on the mic, the heels were the perfect foils for him, and Williams making the save made the tag team match for next week's show official after all. I thought Bubba Ray previously turning down Williams meant that he'd accept the offer as Bully Ray here, but no such luck.

NXT Tag Team Champions Axiom and Nathan Frazer def. Cedric Alexander and Je'Von Evans

Alexander and Evans haven't done a whole lot as a team yet, but I wasn't about to complain about them getting a tag title opportunity because of how I was excited for this match. It was as entertaining as you'd expect given who was involved. They worked a fast pace and produced quite the sprint. They're a terrific team, but who the hell is going to beat Axiom and Frazer for the titles?

Overall Show

There was a quick segment in the parking lot where Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez were shown walking away from a bloodied Rhea Ripley, who is reportedly injured again and will have to miss more television time. That sucks. At any rate, this was an enjoyable edition of NXT that effectively followed up on Halloween Havoc and hyped up next week's special show in the ECW Arena. In addition to Bubba Ray, Dawn Marie and Rob Van Dam are confirmed to appear as well. It will be fun for one-night nostalgia, but where NXT goes from there is what I'm curious about.

SEE MORE: NXT Reviews