WWE NXT Review - September 12, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Ilja Dragunov def. Wes Lee in an NXT Championship No. 1 Contender's Match

This was the hot opener you'd expect from these two. It was even better than most matches we get on NXT's live specials. However, I understand it happening here instead as it determined Carmelo Hayes' challenger for No Mercy. The action was exciting and they went all out. I would've been fine with either guy winning, but Hayes vs. Dragunov at The Great American Bash was a banger and I'm happy we'll be getting it again. As for Lee, he "walked out" later on in the night, so it looks like he'll be taking some time off. Too bad his partners in The Rascalz are currently in IMPACT because this would be the perfect time to bring them in to help him out.

Baron Corbin Accepted Bron Breakker's Challenge for No Mercy

Both guys are heels, but they had an excellent verbal exchange here. They discussed Von Wagner's injury angle last week, and although I thought Corbin might turn face by taking issue with what Breakker did to him, he actually acted impressed and Breakker told him he didn't need his endorsement. Corbin bringing up how he ended the careers of two Olympic gold medalists (lol Gable Steveson) will make it mean that much more if Breakker beats him. I'm actually curious to see what kind of match they can put together.

Drew Gulak, Charlie Dempsey and Damon Kemp def. Josh Briggs, Brooks Jensen and Myles Borne

Gulak's group attempted to recruit Borne at least twice, but Briggs and Jensen agreed to team with him because the heels were treating him poorly. The ultimate "swerve" was Borne joining the heels, anyway. I don't think they need him, especially since Borne has come off like a natural babyface on Level Up. I'm not a fan of the move, personally. This was more about the angle than it was the match, even though it was well wrestled while it lasted.

Lyra Valkyria def. Dana Brooke

This was more about furthering Brooke's heel turn than it was to give Valkyria a major, momentum-building win, though it didn't hurt. The bout was brief, but I honestly don't want to see Brooke in longer matches, even with skilled opponents like Valkyria. This was perfectly fine for what it needed to be. Brooke going back to being heel won't be enough to make me care about her, but it's an improvement over what she was doing previously.

Tyler Bate def. Axiom in an NXT Global Heritage Invitational Match

As little as I care about the NXT Heritage Cup Championship, this NXT Global Heritage Invitational has been a good use of all involved and has resulted in some quality matches, this one being no exception. Bate and Axiom had a fun sprint and Bate winning was the right call as a match between him and familiar foe Pete Dunne approaches. He'll first face Dempsey on Level Up this Friday.

The Creed Brothers def. Malik Blade and Edris Enofe

The Creeds made it clear last week that they intend to work their way through NXT's tag team ranks with their sights set on the NXT Women's Championship. That started with Blade and Enofe, who are unfortunately at the bottom of the barrel right now. Giving the Creeds the quick win was logical. I'm looking forward to them eventually facing Los Lotharios, who have been in the process of being repackaged for a while now.

Nathan Frazer def. Akira Tozawa in an NXT Global Heritage Invitational Match

I'm amazed how little Tozawa being in this tournament has meant despite him being a Raw Superstar. I know Tozawa has been a jobber to the stars for years, but he also beat The Miz (albeit in fluky fashion) a few weeks ago and you think they would've capitalized on that in some way. Instead, he's lost all of his tournament matches, so you really could have put anyone in that spot. At any rate, this was a nice match. Frazer is now tied with Joe Coffey in their group in the NXT Global Heritage Invitational.

Becky Lynch def. Tiffany Stratton to Win the NXT Women’s Championship

Lynch obviously deserves a lot of credit for bringing the best out of her opponents as of late, but Stratton is quickly coming into her own as a performer and proved she could hang with Lynch here. That was the most impressive part about this, in addition to it being a hell of a main event. Stratton retaining in fluky fashion or a non-finish were legitimate possibilities, so the nearfalls down the stretch were suspenseful and Lynch becoming champion was quite the cool surprise. Stratton's reign ended prematurely, but I'm hoping she can ultimately it back from Lynch. I don't hate the move as it freshens things up in the division and gives Lynch something significant to do for the foreseeable future. I don't see this experiment being a failure like the Charlotte Flair one was in 2020. That was pretty pointless.

Overall Show

If NXT doesn't receive a ratings boost from this show, I'd be surprised. They did an effective job of hying up Stratton vs. Lynch in advance and the rest of the show also looked appealing on paper. They booked a strong show that also built toward No Mercy coming up at the end of the month with almost the entire card now official. NXT has found a rhythm that works and it’s definitely made the shows a treat to tune into most weeks. Of course, they can’t go too overboard with the involvement of main roster stars, but this is the best NXT has been since the relaunch two years ago.

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