 Lash Legend Confronted NXT Champion Trick WilliamsWilliams received the incredible reaction you'd expect for his first appearance as NXT Champion. I appreciated how he acknowledged former champ Ilja Dragunov as he departs for Raw before Legend came out. Most of their interactions on TV haven't been for me (though I believe they're dating in real life), but admittedly, this was fun. They even had a cliffhanger for next week with Legend apparently having some dirt on Williams. NXT North American Champion Oba Femi def. IvarFemi continues to improve by the week and, as I've said before, putting him in there with guys who have been around the block will only help him in the long run. It took some time to get going, but once it did, it turned into an enjoyable hoss fight. This was another credibility-boosting win for the champ. Post-match, we got the return of Wes Lee, who had been put out with a back injury since December and it's awesome to see him back. Thea Hail def. Jacy JaneI've been beyond over this feud for a while, but to their credit, they had a decent match. Hail had to win decisively in order to put their rivalry to rest and that's exactly what happened. I was actually happy to see Fallon Henley finally turn on Hail afterward. I thought she might move to the main roster before it could happen, but if she's sticking around, this is the right direction to go with her character. To me, she's the perfect fit for the NXT Women's North American Championship. The O.C. (Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows) def. Tyriek Igwe and Tyson DupontThis was the official NXT TV debut of Igwe and Dupont, who have spent the last eight months or so honing their skills over on Level Up. They're an impressive duo, but the NXT TV audience didn't really get a chance to see what they could do because this was so short. That would've been fine if they won, but they didn't. The O.C. won clean in two minutes. Gallows and Anderson have done nothing so far in NXT, yet they beat the latest addition to the tag team division? Why? Ava Raine Announced How the Inaugural NXT Women's North American Champion Will Be DeterminedThere had been no talk of the NXT Women's North American Championship on TV after it was announced at Stand & Deliver, but it looks like they were just waiting until after the Draft wrapped up. Much like with the inaugural men's NXT North American Champion back in 2018, the first champ will be determined in a Ladder match at Battleground, and the qualifying matches will consist of those who excel in next week's combine. Jaida Parker, Sol Ruca and Arianna Grace were among those out there talking about the title. Michin returning was notable. The subsequent brawl was basic, but the segment accomplished what it needed to. Ridge Holland def. Shawn SpearsI have no idea what the beef is between these two at this point and why anyone should care. Spears beat Holland back in March but has lost more matches than he's won since then. This was hardly an exciting affair and I don't think Holland will benefit much from the victory. I thought he was turning heel after he attacked Joe Gacy from behind at Stand & Deliver, but apparently not. Spears is already back in the same spot he was in before he left. NXT Tag Team Champions Axiom and Nathan Frazer def. Authors of PainAOP are obviously a main roster team at this point and were once dominant as NXT Tag Team Champions, but I still didn't see them as much of a threat to the tag titles here. Could they have given Axiom and Frazer a brief run? Sure, but it made more sense for Axiom and Frazer to steal the win somehow. That was accomplished through New Catch Republic costing AOP the victory. The two teams worked well together and had a nice dynamic. Lola Vice def. Natalya in an NXT Underground MatchMy lack of interest in Natalya as a character has been well-documented in my reviews for ages, but she's played her role extremely well throughout this feud with Vice and has done her part to help elevate Vice the best she can. This was along the same lines as the other two NXT Underground gimmicks in that it was entertaining and they made the most of the stipulation. Vice shined given her legitimate mixed martial arts background, more so than any other point in her NXT run so far. Overall ShowNight 1 of Spring Breakin' was definitely stronger, but this was still a thumbs-up episode. The two title matches and the main event delivered, Lee's return was a pleasant surprise and everything else was serviceable. They also did an effective job of setting stuff up for the coming weeks. NXT lost a number of names in the Draft, so I'm very curious how they plan to replenish the pot and how the quality of the weekly show will be affected, if at all.
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