WWE NXT Review - September 27, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

NXT Champion Bron Breakker Challenged Ilja Dragunov and JD McDonagh to a Triple Threat Match for the NXT Championship at Halloween Havoc

This was the logical route to take after how NXT concluded last week with all three men staring at the NXT Championship. I'm all for it since we already saw Breakker vs. McDonagh one-on-one and Dragunov was never beaten for the NXT UK Championship. All three men cut good promos and Breakker referencing the famous Scott Steiner odds promo was a wonderful touch. That will be a strong main event for Halloween Havoc.

NXT Women's Champion Mandy Rose def. Fallon Henley 

This was the biggest opportunity Henley has had since coming to NXT. Her alliance with Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen has been fine, but her character hasn't done much for me. That said, she's one of the more polished female enhancement talents, so I thought she held her own here. She and Rose had a perfectly passable match that didn't need to last any longer than it did. It gave Rose a win before she eventually defends against Alba Fyre.

Wes Lee def. Tony D'Angelo to Qualify for the NXT North American Championship Ladder Match at Halloween Havoc

This show was taped two weeks ago and I did hear it mentioned somewhere that D'Angelo was unfortunately injured during the taping. Thus, the outcome was never in doubt for me, but I curious to see how it happened. I believe it was a knee injury if I'm not mistaken, so hopefully it isn't too serious and he won't be out for long. The match that preceded the abrupt ending was solid but didn't have a chance to get going. Lee remains my pick to walk out of Halloween Havoc the new NXT North American Champion.

Sol Ruca def. Amari Miller

As one of the few people who consistently tunes into NXT Level Up, I can tell you firsthand that I did not think Ruca was ready to be promoted to NXT TV. I know officials have to be high on her because she's an incredible athlete from what I understand (and it shows in her matches), but to call her green would be a significant understatement. This wasn't awful by any means, but she's certainly a work in progress. Meanwhile, Miller continues to do nothing but smile and it's become very obnoxious.

Joe Gacy def. Cameron Grimes

This rivalry has by far been one of the worst things going in NXT for the last month or two. I applaud Grimes for making the most of it, but Gacy's gimmick has jumped the shark for me and I can't see Grimes emerging from it any better off than he was previously. The best thing I can say about this is that it was brief, but that only means the feud will continue. Grimes is long overdue for a main roster call-up, by the way.

Nikkita Lyons def. NXT Women's Tag Team Champion Kayden Carter

I might be in the minority on this, but I have yet to be overly impressed by anything I've seen from Lyons up to this point in her run. Keep in mind she's been around for close to year, so when will the real improvement start to show? I do think she'll benefit from teaming with Zoey Stark, though. That's far better than her challenging Rose for the NXT Women's Championship. As for this bout, it was adequate but basically what you'd expect given who was involved.

Ilja Dragunov def. Xyon Quinn

Quinn is officially that guy on the NXT roster who is established enough that the audience will know who he is but he'll only pop up every now and again to lose to whoever's on the ascent. I've pretty much given up on the idea he'll ever be pushed again. Nonetheless, this was a fairly standard showcase for Dragunov, much like when Tyler Bate came to NXT and beat Von Wagner. He's an excellent addition to this roster and brings a wealth of experience.

Brutus Creed def. Damon Kemp by Disqualification

This feud has been fun to follow so far with The Creed Brothers and especially Kemp playing their roles really well. This was their first match, so I had no issue with them keeping it short and sweet. Both guys showed terrific intensity and I loved that they wasted no time in going after each other. The non-finish made sense as well. Watching this storyline play out has had me thinking: What if Roderick Strong being attacked in the parking lot by Kemp was meant to be his official write-up from NXT TV and he'll either be called up or be done with the company? And could Gable Steveson soon debut to team with his brother and take on Creed Brothers?

Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen def. Gallus (Mark Coffey and Wolfgang) in a Pub Rules Match

I was hoping we'd see this take place in an actual pub/bar (similar to Sheamus vs. Jeff Hardy on SmackDown a couple of years ago), but no such luck. Despite that, this still wound up being an entertaining, hard-hitting main event. It was easily the best bout I've seen Briggs and Jensen have on their own and I attribute a lot of that to Gallus. Speaking of Gallus, I would've had them win here since they're new on the NXT scene, but I'm not totally shocked they went with the babyface ending.

Overall Show

If it wasn't already obvious, this was a taped show, hence why no major changes have yet been made to the NXT setup despite the updated logo. I don't know how drastic the brand will change other than possibly aesthetically, but I hope we get better shows than this. It felt like a total episode with nothing standing out. The Pub Rules main event was the biggest highlight and even that I wouldn't recommend you go out of your way to see. Fingers crossed NXT will heat up again heading into Halloween Havoc next month.

SEE MORE: NXT Reviews