WWE NXT Review - September 6, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

NXT Champion Bron Breakker Saved Tyler Bate From Gallus

Bate showed respect for Breakker before Gallus interrupted and said he let the NXT UK roster and the entire United Kingdom down by losing at Worlds Collide (even though they lost themselves). Breakker made the save, setting up the night's tag team main event. It was a pretty basic segment but it accomplished what it needed to and everyone played their roles well. I'm happy to see Bate regularly appearing on NXT UK after all these years. It only took NXT UK closing its doors for it to happen.

Doudrop and Nikki A.S.H. def. Toxic Attraction (Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jane)

Dolin was rumored to be hurt last month and that was why Toxic Attraction was pulled from the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship Tournament, but she must be fine if she worked this match. It was good, but I'm not sure who fans were supposed to cheer for if both teams are heel. I'm also not sure what Doudrop and Nikki winning was supposed to accomplish if they're seemingly on the verge of splitting up. Even if they're not, can they please be repackaged soon?

JD McDonagh def. Wes Lee

Lee recently called McDonagh creepy and that was the reason behind this bout. Lee scored that win over Trick Williams a month or so ago but has done nothing since then, which is disappointing. This served more as a rebound for McDonagh coming off his loss to Breakker at Heatwave. They had a really fun match and at least Lee was made to look credible in defeat. McDonagh's character still needs some tweaking, but at least he's different than most heels NXT has on its roster.

Meiko Satomura def. Roxanne Perez

Perez hasn't been wrestling for very long and she's already damn talented. Putting her in the ring with someone as seasoned as Satomura will only help her in the long run and she gained a lot in defeat following the performance she had. This was terrific as expected and I appreciated that Cora Jade attacking Perez was saved for afterward. I really hope Satomura sticks around because NXT's youthful women's division could use someone like her.

Ricochet def. Trick Williams

I thought Ricochet's great match with Carmelo Hayes from Worlds Collide would be a one-off return for him in NXT, but it was cool to see him pop up again on this week's show much like Doudrop and Nikki. It allowed him to return to his winning ways and beat someone who can easily absorb the loss. They had a nice little match and it's still cool seeing Ricochet back in his element in NXT. Do he and Hayes have unfinished business or will Hayes move on to other challengers from here? I wouldn't mind them picking this up on the main roster someday.

Axiom def. Nathan Frazer in Match 1 in the Best-of-3 Series

Frazer has largely been absent from NXT TV as of late and Axiom has yet to found his footing since coming over from NXT UK and being repackaged, so putting them in a best-of-three series is a smart call. They can have kickass matches, showcase their skills, and hopefully get more over with the audience in the process. This had all the high-flying maneuvers you'd expect and the crowd was into it. I'm looking forward to the next two installments.

NXT Champion Bron Breakker and Tyler Bate def. Gallus (Joe and Mark Coffey)

Considering they had a top-notch match at Worlds Collide, Breakker and Bate having excellent chemistry as partners was no surprise. This was a rock-solid main event with an entertaining final stretch. Bate picking up the winning fall was a nice touch, though it is odd Gallus lost to a makeshift team. McDonagh attacked Bate afterward for some reason. Maybe because of their past in NXT UK? I have no desire to see Breakker be involved, though. He beat McDonagh decisively last month, so I'd rather see him move on to someone else or build to him and Bate in a rematch from Worlds Collide.

Overall Show

This was a quality follow-up show coming off Worlds Collide. The NXT UK Superstars have arrived and now we wait and see what will be done with them. There isn't anything super compelling going on right now, but it feels like the brand is in reset mode with new storylines kicking off, so maybe that will change soon. Next week's episode will be the big one-year anniversary of NXT 2.0 (ugh) and it will feature Pretty Deadly vs. The Creed Brothers for the NXT Tag Team Championship with a stipulation chosen by the fans, Tony D'Angelo and Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo vs. Cameron Grimes and a partner of his choosing, and Carmelo Hayes defending the NXT North American Championship against an opponent chosen by the fans.

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