Welcome to the very first edition of WWE NXT hits and misses. For those wondering, this article provides a recap of the biggest moments and mishaps that went down this week on the White and Gold Brand.
NXT was a solid show this week on the road to Stand & Deliver. We got a confirmation on the NXT North American Championship defense. A veteran returned to the Performance Center to teach some respect to a rising star.
Plus much more!
Miss – Roxanne Perez’s heel promo
Roxanne Perez’s heel transition is complete. The former NXT Women’s Champion is officially a bad girl on the road to Stand & Deliver. The former Rok-C will face current Champion Lyra Valkyria for the title on April 6.
Tonight’s episode of WWE NXT featured a cinematic promo from Roxanne Perez. The vignette saw Perez criticizing her past good girl gimmick. The presentation was good. Roxanne’s delivery, however, wasn’t.
Talking has never been her strongest forte. She’s comfortable telling her story inside the ring. Roxanne’s promo work seemed like it was forced or something. The delivery didn’t feel natural. She looks way more intimidating when she’s all action and no talk.
Hit – Dijak vs. Shawn Spears
Dijak and Shawn Spears kicked off the action on WWE NXT this week. The two big men put on arguably the match of the night. They had some pretty good back and forth exchange. Dijak’s popularity continues to soar with every episode of NXT. The man never fails to give his 110% inside the ring.
My only issue was the distraction spot from Joe Gacy. Schism’s former leader seems to have a new target in Spears. Gacy had a pretty solid feud against Dijak that gave NXT fans some underrated matches. Speaking of matches, Dijak finally got a title match at Stand & Deliver.
Miss – Jazmyn Nyx loses WWE NXT TV debut match
I’m sure Jazmyn Nyx impressed fans with her performance against Thea Hail on NXT this week. Nyx made her in-ring debut on live TV. I thought Jazmyn did a great job between the ropes.
She showcased her athleticism and heel persona against Thea. Jacy Jayne, who was at ringside to support Jazmyn, tricked the referee into ejecting the Chase U gang from Thea’s corner.
Jayne further caused a distraction by slapping her former friend across the face. The spot should’ve sealed the win for Jazmyn, but Thea reversed her momentum with a submission for the win, breaking Jazmyn’s arm in the process.
Shawn Michaels should’ve went the other route and have Jazmyn pick up the win especially when the whole point was to have six woman brawl with each other post-match. Let’s see if we get a six-woman tag team match on the final WWE NXT before Stand & Deliver.
Hit – Trick vs. Melo on Prime Target
There’s no denying that NXT has huge faith in Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes. This week’s episode featured a recap of their animosity with a prime target video package. The vignette featured cameos from the likes of Randy Orton, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, and Tommaso Ciampa.
Booker T provided his wisdom as well. Ciampa described Trick versus Melo as the biggest rivalry in NXT history. This is a huge endorsement coming from a man who gave NXT one of its greatest rivalries with real-life best friend and fellow DIY member Johnny Gargano.
We got to experience a personal and caring side of Trick Williams. The 2023 NXT Men’s Iron Survivor introduced fans to his close ones. The nod to Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky Balboa character made for a solid tribute to the franchise and Philly.
Miss – Ridge Holland’s ‘stepping away from ring’ promo
I have mixed feelings about this one. If we are looking at the positives, Ridge Holland spoke from the heart. He talked about his love for his family and professional wrestling. We got a closer look into the man who has been affected by hate messages he continue to receive from trolls on the internet.
The downside was that the promo went longer than I expected. The NXT crowd didn’t help the promo either. They were cheering at intervals that didn’t require cheers. Also, their overall reaction seemed to imply that they didn’t care if Ridge wrestled or not. The whole “Thank you Ridge!” chants seemed customary rather than a genuine reaction.
Hit – Otis goes through the table on WWE NXT
The Alpha Academy headlined WWE NXT against The Wolf Dogs this week. This was Otis and Akira Tozawa’s last ditch effort to earn themselves a spot at Stand & Deliver. The pair put up a good fight but came up short against the NXT Tag Team Champions.
The highlight of the match came when Bron Breakker and Baron Corbin powerbombed Otis through the announcer’s desk. Breakker would then destroy Tozawa with a huge spear for the win.
Some more hits and misses from WWE NXT
- Miss – Josh Briggs weak JBL-esque clothesline
- Hit – Natalya answers Lola Vice’s open challenge
- Miss – Joe Gacy prevents clean win for Dijak
- Hit – Stacks brings the fight to Ilja Dragunov
Also read: WWE RAW Hits & Misses (3/25/24)
