WWE NXT Stand & Deliver Review - April 2, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Pre-Show: Raquel Gonzalez and Dakota Kai def. Toxic Attraction (Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jane) to Win the NXT Women's Tag Team Champonship

This match was originally announced for the pre-show, though I read somewhere it was being moved to the main card. Well, apparently not, and as a result, I missed watching this live because I was busy getting food. That said, I did go back and watch it on YouTube and it was a perfectly fine match. The Gonzalez and Kai reunion this past Tuesday on NXT was pretty rushed, but it was cool seeing them back together here. I wasn't expecting a title change, but it was a nice moment for Gonzalez in her home state of Texas.

Cameron Grimes def. Carmelo Hayes, Grayson Waller, Solo Sikoa and Santos Escobar in a Ladder Match to Win the NXT North American Championship

What a train wreck of a match this was, and I mean that in the best way possible. What I liked most about this match is that virtually could have won and I would've been happy. All five of these guys can be the future of this company if pushed properly. The action was all over the place, but the crowd was into it. I could have done without the interference from the managers toward the end, but all in all, this was a blast. Grimes had to win after telling that story on the show recently about his father's passing, so I'm stoked he finally got his moment to shine here.

Tony D'Angelo def. Tommaso Ciampa

This was easily the weakest match on the whole card, but that isn't to say it was necessarily bad. Rather, it just wasn't what you'd expect out of your average Ciampa match, especially with this being his apparent sendoff from the brand. I wish his farewell came in more exciting fashion, but this was still solid stuff and D'Angelo had a very impressive performance. The finish felt abrupt, but at least Ciampa got beat after being DDT'd on the concrete floor outside of the ring. Triple H coming out afterward to embrace Ciampa on the stage was a terrific touch.

MSK def. Imperium (Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner) and The Creed Brothers in a Triple Threat Tag Team Match to Win the NXT Tag Team Championship

While this wasn't the show-stealer I was hoping for, it featured plenty of good work from all three teams. It was nicely paced and everyone had their time to shine. I was pulling for Creed Brothers to take the titles, and if not, I expected Imperium to retain. MSK regaining the gold came as a surprise, but I don't hate the outcome at all because it completes the championship chase they've had going since Halloween Havoc. I also appreciated that neither of Creed Brothers ate the losing fall.

NXT Women's Champion Mandy Rose def. Io Shirai, Kay Lee Ray and Cora Jade in a Fatal 4-Way Match

I was disappointed coming into this show that this went from being Rose vs. Jade one-on-one to turning into a Fatal 4-Way with Shirai and KLR also involved, but honestly, it ended up being for the better. I think Jade has a ton of upside and she's coming along well, but she wasn't ready for the singles spotlight. I mean, the crowd was barely behind her here, which was a bit shocking because she's been a likable babyface on NXT for quite a while. Nonetheless, this was another well-worked multi-person match. Could Rose pinning Shirai indicate Shirai is on her way up to the main roster? If so, I fear for her.

Gunther def. LA Knight

This was a pretty random match on paper and felt like an excuse to get both guys on the card, but I'm not at all complaining. It was such a drastic clash of styles that I found it to be an enjoyable attraction. It was basically booked as a glorified squash for Gunther with Knight scoring minimal offense, but I figured that might be the case with Knight rumored to be called up soon. This wasn't a bad way for him to go out.

NXT Champion Dolph Ziggler def. Bron Breakker

I was looking forward to seeing how these two would match up because that Triple Threat they had with Ciampa recently at Roadblock was terrific. The crowd was quiet for a decent chunk of this, largely whenever Ziggler had Breakker in a rest hold, but this turned into a quality main event down the stretch and Breakker didn't look out of place in there, wrestling in front of his biggest crowd to date. I take back what I said recently in that he probably isn't main roster ready quite yet, but Ziggler retaining might indicate that's going to be the case. Either way, I'm fine with Ziggler holding onto the gold for a little longer because this run of his in NXT has been his strongest in years.

Overall Show

As I say every week, NXT 2.0 is a major mixed bag. There's some stuff that I love and other angles I couldn't care less about, like the ongoing couples storyline with Indi Hartwell, Persia Pirotta, Dexter Lumis and Duke Hudson or the Chase University nonsense (I appreciate that stuff was kept to a minimum on this show). However, the live television specials and Peacock-exclusive events like WarGames or Stand & Deliver are when NXT 2.0 is at its best. I was thoroughly entertained by a majority of what we got on this show and the two-plus hours flew by. Saturday afternoon events aren't ideal, obviously, but I'm glad NXT at least had a presence this WrestleMania weekend for the first time in three years. Now we wait and see where certain stars are headed following WrestleMania 38 and who stays put.

SEE MORE: NXT Reviews