WWE NXT Stand & Deliver Review - April 1, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Kickoff Show: Chase U (Andre Chase, Duke Hudson and Thea Hail) and Tyler Bate def. Schism (Joe Gacy, Ava and The Dyad)

I haven't cared about the crap with Chase U and Schism in the slightest, so it was wise to slot this on the pre-show and not on the main card. To their credit, it was fun and exceeded my expectations. The story has been about whether Hudson would do the right thing, and ultimately, he did. Chase U and Bate winning should put this storyline to rest, but time will tell. For those wondering, Raine was barely in the ring but was perfectly passable.

Indi Hartwell def. Roxanne Perez, Zoey Stark, Gigi Dolin, Tiffany Stratton and Lyra Valkyria in a Ladder Match to Win the NXT Women's Championship

I'm so tired of Ladder matches in NXT and just in wrestling in general. That's coming from someone whose favorite gimmick match is the Ladder match. Despite that, all six women put forth a commendable effort and had a good match. It was far from smooth, but it had its fair share of memorable spots. If anyone was going to win the title, I figured it'd be Stratton, but I couldn't be happier for Hartwell, especially as someone who has followed her career since she started. She definitely deserves it. Her reunion with Dexter Lumis was a really nice moment as well.

NXT Tag Team Champions Gallus def. The Creed Brothers and Tony D'Angelo and Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo in a Triple Threat Tag Team Match

I preferred last year's Triple Threat tag title match over this one. This was solid, but there was nothing out of the ordinary about it and the crowd never really got into it. I don't blame them, either, because this felt forced with no real feud between the three teams. I'm still confused as to whether D'Angelo and Lorenzo are officially babyfaces because there was no actual turn. Gallus retaining was the right call as they just became champs two months ago, and now they have Joe Coffey back in the group as well with his visa issues cleared up.

NXT North American Champion Wes Lee def. Ilja Dragunov, Dragon Lee, JD McDonagh and Axiom in a Fatal 5-Way Match

This was the blast of a sprint I was expecting from these five fantastic athletes. Was it a total spot-fest? Absolutely, and although it didn't meet my lofty expectations as being one of the year's best matches, it was still highly entertaining. The unpredictability surrounding the outcome helped as one of these guys could have walked out with the title, but Lee's been doing such a strong job as champion that I have no issue with him holding onto the gold for a little longer.

Johnny Gargano def. Grayson Waller in an Unsanctioned Match

This was the Johnny Gargano we've been waiting to see since he returned to the company. This was is what we need to see from him on the main roster, and I'm not necessarily blaming him for that. He just hasn't been put in a position on Raw yet where we would see this side of him and that's part of the problem. This was my favorite match of the night in that it was both a brawl and an excellent piece of storytelling. Waller stepped up in a big way and Gargano was, as noted, back in Johnny TakeOver mode. Candice LeRae's involvement was well done and we even got a reunion with The Way (sans Austin Theory) on the stage afterward.

Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn def. Kiana James and Fallon Henley to Win the NXT Women's Tag Team Championship

Unfortunately for the talent involved, this was the flattest match of the night. It wasn't poorly wrestled by any means as it was quite competent, but this felt like it belonged on an episode of NXT instead of on a live special. Plus, I simply haven't been the slightest bit interested in this ongoing angle with James, Henley, Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen. James and Henley are obviously headed for a split, so the title change was logical.

Carmelo Hayes def. Bron Breakker to Win the NXT Championship

This had a big fight feel despite not living up to my lofty expectations. Don't get me wrong, this was a solid main event once they picked up the pace, but it didn't reach the level I thought it would and I feel they're capable of better. It took some time for the crowd to get into the action. Maybe because they had already witnessed everything under the sun throughout the show up to this point? I wouldn't be opposed to a rematch where they can go all out. Either way, Hayes becoming champion was absolutely the right result. Similar to Hartwell, I was following him years before he arrived in WWE and sky is the limit for him.

Overall Show

For the second straight year, NXT was put in a tough spot on the Saturday morning of WrestleMania weekend and will be overshadowed by everything else. I guess Thursday night is too soon to hold the show because not everyone is in town yet, but it might be an improvement. NXT continues to produce its strongest shows with the live specials. The weekly television show is very skippable at this point, but they deliver when it matters most and I thought this was another enjoyable event from the brand on the whole.

SEE MORE: NXT Reviews