WWE NXT Review - October 3, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Lyra Valkyria, Indi Hartwell and Roxanne Perez Staked Their Claim at Becky Lynch's NXT Women's Championship

This was one of those typical WWE segments where it felt like a revolving door of promos with everyone expressing why they deserve the next shot at the title. Valkyria makes the most sense as the number one contender, but she actually had the weakest argument of the three of them. Perez was never pinned for the title at Stand & Deliver earlier this year and Hartwell was forced to relinquish it due to injury. Hartwell's return to NXT didn't come off as too special, either, maybe because she hasn't been gone for long and hasn't done much on Raw yet. At least this set up the Triple Threat match for later in the night.

Tyler Bate and Butch def. Gallus (Mark Coffey and Wolfgang)

It's been years since we last saw these two members of British Strong Style in action together (probably 2019, right?) and they made for a fun team once again. It would have been cool if Trent Seven returned to complete the trio, but I wouldn't expect that from WWE unless he was being brought back full-time. Well, we got Ridge Holland coming out afterward instead. This was solid stuff and a six-man tag team match is obviously in the works.

NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov, NXT North American Champion Trick Williams, Carmelo Hayes and Dominik Mysterio Interrupted Each Other

Williams confronting Dragunov was interesting given their recent history, but Williams was right to credit Dragunov for bringing the best out of him in their bout at Heatwave because that was truly a turning point for Williams. Hayes took exception to Williams setting his sights on the NXT Championship, further teasing tension between the two. Mysterio got the usual strong heat and hyped up his title match with Willliams in the main event, so this segment managed to accomplish quite a bit.

Lyra Valkyria def. Indi Hartwell and Roxanne Perez in an NXT Women's Championship No. 1 Contender's Match

I expected more from this match given the level of talent involved, but it was still decent enough. It helped that it had an unpredictable outcome, though I think most people assumed Valkyria was going over given she was the first one to interrupt Lynch at the start of the show. It was announced that they'll meet for the title on Night 1 of Halloween Havoc in three weeks. Valkyria feels like the right person to dethrone Lynch (Hartwell is already on the main roster and Perez and Tiffany Stratton will be there shortly), but would they really take the title off Lynch this soon?

Gigi Dolin def. Blair Davenport

I don't know what it is, but the first matches in Gigi Dolin feuds on television are always throwaway. This was only a few minutes long and nothing about it was out of the ordinary. If the feud is going to continue (and it looks like it will), Dolin winning was a weird call. I know it was in fluky fashion, but I don't think she gains much from that. This rivalry should keep both women busy for the foreseeable future, if nothing else.

Kelani Jordan def. Izzi Dame in an NXT Women's Breakout Tournament Quarterfinal Match

Jordan just faced Davenport (in a losing effort) on the No Mercy Kickoff show, while I believe this marked Dame's NXT TV debut (she's had a few matches on NXT Level Up in recent months). That made it pretty obvious who was winning, but that's expected in most first-round matches. Needless to say, almost everyone in this tourney needs more experience, but I thought these two had a pretty passable match. Jordan continues to impress and it's clear Shawn Michaels is high on her based on how she's been used so far.

Thea Hail and Jacy Jayne defeated Elektra Lopez and Lola Vice 

There wasn't much to this match (nor did I expect there to be), but I'm really digging Hail's character evolution and her dynamic with Jayne. It's a refreshing change of pace for her and it's given Jayne something to do as well. Vice and Lopez were there to take the loss. Interestingly, Jayne invited Andre Chase and Duke Hudson to ringside and they didn't factor into the finish, so I'm curious what she has in mind.

"Dirty" Dominik Mysterio def. Trick Williams to Win the NXT North American Championship

The story was that Williams had to go at it alone with Hayes leaving the building and Mysterio having the entire Judgment Day (and JD McDonagh) in his corner. Thus, Mysterio regaining the gold wasn't too shocking, but I am glad Hayes didn't turn on Williams here (that can be saved for another time). Williams' reign getting cut short at three days is disappointing, but he honestly doesn't need the title at the moment. The story with him and Hayes can be told without anything on the line.

Overall Show

Between John Cena, Paul Heyman, Cody Rhodes and Asuka making appearances, NXT is absolutely stacking next week's show. No, it isn't their latest live special, though it may as well be. Rather, AEW Dynamite is airing on a Tuesday night for one week only and WWE wants to ensure they win the ratings "war." As for this episode, it was a fine fallout show coming off a top-notch No Mercy event. The drama surrounding the NXT Championship and NXT Women's Championship pictures carried the show and Mysterio getting the belt back means Judgment Day aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

SEE MORE: NXT Reviews