WWE NXT: Spring Breakin' Review - April 25, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

The Family def. Pretty Deadly in a Trunk Match

The stipulation was exactly what it suggests: you had to throw both of your opponents in the back of a car trunk in order to win. The gimmicky stuff for Tony D'Angelo and Channing Lorenzo continues, but they made it work and the crowd was into it. All in all, an enjoyable opener. Pretty Deadly losing combined with them being "killed off" at the end of the episode all but confirms they're headed to either Raw or SmackDown in the WWE Draft.

Bron Breakker def. Andre Chase

Heel Breakker has been money so far. Out with the cheesy smiling, in with the intensity. Chase U is a popular act, but this was all about furthering Breakker's dominance and was booked as a straightforward squash exactly as it should have been. Breakker keeps destroying dudes and it's been fun to watch. We found out later that this was merely a placeholder program for Breakker before reentering the NXT Championship picture.

Cora Jade def. Lyra Valkyria

This was fine but never got out of first gear. Not only were they not given a ton of time, the commercial break took up a good chunk of it. That should have been expected, though, with it being the first match in the feud. They're both talented and thus are capable of better. The finish didn't come off well, either. Per the NXT formula, the heel won the first match, so Valkyria will win the gimmick rematch in a few weeks.

NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes def. Grayson Waller

This was on the same level as their first (and only other) encounter last year for the NXT North American Championship at The Great American Bash, and by that I mean it was very entertaining. They work really well together and Waller's dive to Hayes through the commentary table on the outside looked awesome. Waller has to be drafted on Friday or Monday, right? This was a solid swan song for him if so. Hayes called out Breakker afterward, so they will resume their rivalry heading into Battleground as they should.

Josh Briggs and Fallon Henley def. Brooks Jensen and Kiana James

I applaud NXT's/Shawn Michaels' dedication to this storyline, but it's been going on for so long that I simply do not care. I mean, I didn't care to begin with, but it's only gotten worse the longer it's dragged on for. Based on how quiet the crowd was for most of this, I'm not alone in feeling that way. This was decent and everyone held their own, but I'm very much ready for this crap to be over with and it's clear that we aren't there yet.

Oba Femi def. Oro Mensah

First and foremost, Femi was very impressive, and Mensah deserves credit for selling as well for him as he did. It's a shame more isn't being done with Mensah right now following his solid start in NXT late last year, but oh well. Going back to Femi, he's had plenty of matches on Level Up since late last year. However, he didn't win any of them and wasn't really showcased on his own, so bringing him over to NXT TV without giving him a string of wins there first seems abrupt. That said, he did well in his debut and showed a ton of potential.

NXT Women's Champion Indi Hartwell def. Roxanne Perez and Tiffany Stratton in a Triple Threat Match

Not only did this start pretty close to the end of the show, it immediately cut to a commercial break as soon as it got underway. Seriously? It started out well enough, but they lost the crowd when Hartwell hurt her ankle on the outside. I'm assuming it was legitimate based on how it looked and the fact she wasn't shown on camera again until she returned to the ring for the finish. Props to Stratton and Perez for improvising and it was a decent main event on the whole, but it ultimately underwhelmed due to the circumstances. I thought Hartwell might lose so she could be called up in the Draft, but now I'm thinking Perez will be called up instead considering she was pinned here.

Overall Show

Spring Breakin' was a mixed bag of a special. The opener was unique, Femi made a quality first impression and the NXT Championship match was easily the best bout of the night, but the main event fell apart due to Hartwell's injury, the mixed tag team match was whatever, and Jade vs. Valkyria didn't feature anything out of the ordinary. There was some successful storyline progression and this was still a step above your average edition of NXT, but the brand has produced better specials since the relaunch.

SEE MORE: NXT Reviews