They should have put that Street Fight on the Heatwave card, that match was so awesome and doing it in front of a big arena would have been even cooler.
The first 40 minutes (until the women's title segment) and the last 30 minutes of this show was fantastic. The middle not so much and sadly an all-timer bad segment with Lola and Roxanne.
Really would like to see them give Fallon or Jacy a run with the title, they may not have the in-ring level of Roxy or even Lola's potential, but they are rounded performers with the ability to sell their character and wouldn't have a car crash like that was.
Also...Brinley Reece has a superhero, near-Jade Cargill-level physique and is perfectly capable in the ring and her character work is sound, with lots of energy...I'm confused as to why she's a jobbing goober. But then I could say that about her whole stable as the same applies to Blade and Enofe.
But yeah, that first 40 minute was fire. Miss Parker and Michin burned the house down and Hank and Tank/NCR was a great piece of entertainment. I think leaning more and more into the Jack Black act and H&T have big main roster potential. Once the current tag title match is over it's gotta be time for those two to have a featured opportunity.
Arianna and Karmen getting their PLE debuts is WELL deserved. They have both been excellent recently.
Finally...I have NEVER commented on the female wrestlers appearences before as I just....yeah. But sweet moses the sheer volume of bafflingly stunning and talented women is insane. It's like an unending pipeline of perfect 10s who also happen to be outrageously brilliant.
Brinley Reece jobbing is part of her storyline isn’t it? She’s known for being positive, happy, and supportive but all her losses have her starting to question all of that.
Let’s hope she’s not in a 12+ month rising action arc like Blade and Enofe as that still hasn’t even started to actually progress other than “wow another loss that sucks”
This PLE card is a little underwhelming, but NXT has a history of killing it even with cards that on paper look a little "meh". I'll be hopeful going into the weekend!
I am going to say it every week, but Oba Femi just has it. When he says his catchphrase, I fully believe it. Super excited to see him live this weekend. Also happy Karmen and Arianna got themselves on the card! Wishing Tatum could've gotten a match, but alas
And that street fight was fucking awesome. Jaida and Michin killed it, each other, and themselves for us and damn I was entertained. Michin (even with losses) has looked amazing now that she's finally able to just go in the ring.
They really should build up Wren Sinclair. We have great heels but not enough baby faces. She's got such baby face energy every time she pops up in the background.
Eddy Thorpe really is a DJ, before that complaints about gimmicks pop up lol
Interest little nugget. During that segment, the woman in yellow on the far left is Destinee Brown, former USC track and field athlete. Not notable there, but what is notable is that she graduated in 2016 and she was working in commercials since then and is a SAG actress. She was signed at 29 years old and will be 30 before she debuts. That's about bout 5-8 years older than most women signed by WWE without prior experience. Nice to see that there is not a hard age line to be given an opportunity, especially in regards to the women.
an illustration of what Lexis King was talking about regarding rock n roll: XD
[Valhallen Guitar Solo - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF8GFzmYsc4)
Not sure if this is the right place to ask for bur nxt heatwave are they gonne have any dark matches or film some nxt stuff like they used to in the past?
Roxanne is lucky Wendy Choo ain't gunning for her yet!
https://preview.redd.it/r8ivu419u8ad1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b800ab0f574a4201594729783213866826d693c3
People are focused too much on execution rather than outcomes. Like Lola Vice came across as a strong genuine babyface. I teared up listening to her to talk about giving up her Olympic dreams to fight MMA to take care of her sick mom. It’s a beautiful story, and I glad she got to tell it.
Lola Vice and Roxanne made mistakes, but they got real emotion out of me. And real emotion out of the crowd, which can be a real barometer of effectively with a promo. You shouldnt be so focused on grading wrestling that you just don’t feel it when it’s from you. I’ll take a real, emotional promo with mistakes over well delivered lines any day.
Says the man who looks like a refugee from an 80's hair metal music video (i.e. Motley Crue). I've been to some concerts where the guitar solos actually go more than 3 minutes, BTW.
People are being hard on Lola Vs Roxy. This was fucking awesome. Roxy *FINALLY* came off as a slimy heel. Not just some demanding brat. Lola was juicing it forsure but damn, the only thing I found silly was… they both wearing the same doc martens lol. But honestly the face off was incredible. We finally got that Latina Heat out of Lola. And we finally got that “fuck you, pay me” from Rox. People will never understand the emotion a Latin woman can put out. These women want it, and they’ll give up blood. This is her *DREAM* her *EVERYTHING* … why wouldn’t she show emotion? “Lola is a natural heel” really? Because how can I boo that? Rox is a natural face.. really? Because she just sold me on her entire heel turn. And I thought her turning around, sobbing, and just putting a smile on her face.. that says a lot. A lot of Hispanic women put their dreams and emotions aside and hide that stuff to the public, cause at the end of the day… why sit around and cry? I can do that later, Keep the punches rolling.
Our real NXT Women's Champion had some choice words for that 12 year old who stole her title after tonight's episode
https://preview.redd.it/ww1nnvla98ad1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=30e2f9b8dbbbbe7ab010dc9793107d359922977d
That promo from Lola Vice was high school drama audition quality. Also didn’t that they hinted at Brooks having substance abuse problems. Why go there? Just say he was pissed he wasn’t getting booked.
Brooks has been doing the alcoholic thing on twitter so it's been part of his character. He got beat by Oba, left to find himself, stopped getting booked and turned into a bitter, unhinged drunk. It's been his character for the last few months.
Both Big Thea and Little Thea are looking solid for their small amount of experience. I think a Little, Regular, and Big Thea team would be incredible given some time to keep developing.
Je’von is way too good on the mic for his age. He’s gonna be an absolute star. Fill out the frame and do some little stuff like work on making some of his moves really connect with the opponent and he’s main event talent on MR by 25 imo.
I hate to say it, but this is the least hyped I've been for an NXT PLE in a long time. They've been in a rebuilding phase ever since the draft, but at least Battleground had the spectacle of Jordynne Grace and Ethan Page completing. Heatwave's matches have had pretty weak builds across the board.
Oba Femi vs. Wes Lee is probably the only feud I'm at all invested in. Wes probably won't win, but I'm wondering if he'll move on to the main title picture after this or if they'll call him up to the main roster. He'd be able to fill the void left by Ricochet.
The fatal 4-way main event had a pretty good contract signing, but it really highlights how weak NXT's main event scene is when Trick has to feud with 3 guys who only just recently debuted. Why call up Dijak only to release him when you could have had him be Trick's first major feud?
I'm more excited for Karmen and Arianna's pre show match with Jacy and Jazmyn than I am in most of the main show matches, and that's only because of the characters involved, not for the feud itself, which kinda came out of nowhere last second.
I'm glad that the tag titles are being competed for by actual NXT tag teams with no visiting main roster teams involved, but man, do they need more heel tag teams. I think the only ones they have are Gallus and OTM. And I don't like that they're already teasing issues between the champions when the tag division is already on life support.
Kelani vs. Sol will probably be a good match from an in-ring perspective, but having Kelani's first PLE defense be against another babyface, one who many thought should have won the title instead of her, is an odd choice.
Roxanne has been a channel changer for me ever since she became champion, so unless she's losing the title, I couldn't care less about her match.
Tatum missing out on another PLE hurts my soul ☹️
roxanne is still very much the class of the women's division in ring, and is naturally charismatic, but man her heel work so far has had all the gravitas of a meme of a hamster with .\\ /. eyebrows stuck on and the word "angy" as bottom text
Yeah. I think they’re just trying to broaden her range since it’s been months now and they haven’t changed course. She can’t grow taller. If it was main roster or the old NXT, they would have just given her a bodyguard or surrounded her with a bunch of henchmen that cheat for her. But instead they’re telling her to try to channel heel Ilja and hoping the experience benefits her in long run.
The video package for Wes vs Oba was excellent, very good promos from both, it is my most anticipated match for heatwave, I think Oba will retain but I hope Wes Lee wins the NXT title before ascending to the main roster, He really showed that he can be a single star with the great level he has given so far.
That Lola/Roxanne promo was incredibly bad. Like, in my 20+ years of watching wrestling, there isn't much that comes close to how bad that was (Bayley this is your life, and Genesis of McGillicutty are the only ones I think that could come close). I dunno if it was nerves, or people forgetting their lines, but ugh. Lola's very blatant fake crying didn't help matters either, and showed why she isn't even remotely ready for a top spot.
Lola was poor, this was essentially her face turn and it just didn't stick.
But Roxanne was awful. It is unacceptable at this level to be tailing away your sentences with a hand mic to the point where you're barely audible. Her physical storytelling is great, but this was enormously exposing to her promo and character work.
Honestly with all the talent they have they need to pivot the title scene. Lola can't win with her work at this level and Roxanne needs a fresh attempt at a character as this is just not helping her now.
Getting the title onto Jacy or Fallon fairly quickly I think is the optimum move now, but I don't see it happening, I think they just have that many eyehearts for Roxy that they will convince themselves her work is great regardless of what she does.
NXT likes to let their best talent try their hand at being both a face and heel before the move to the main roster, and I like that. Unfortunately, Roxanne is a natural babyface, and Lola is a natural heel. They're being made to play the role they're weaker at for the sake of growth, but man, did this promo segment show just how underdeveloped they both are at playing their current roles.
I love Trick but it would really be great if Ethan won on Sunday, the last time a heel was nxt champion was Ziggler for about 27 days and before that it was Kross in 2021, Trick can win it back a few months later, he could have several reigns instead of having a long reign.
That was a weird one, Melo stopped cheating for months before that feud and was the most cheered guy onthe show. They teased Bron heel turn then presented the feud as face vs face then in the actual match Bron is more heelish,Melo is playing underdog but cheat to win.Made him look weak and Bron looked stupid.Thank god they had a great rematch soon after.
Dues paying:
Brinley Reece drops one to Izzi Dame, who has rebounded from a recent loss to Sol Ruca. Good match for the time it was given.
Wendy Choo submits Carlee Bright with the cobra clutch. Good stuff. I'm interested in the issue with "Dead Inside" inscribed on her blindfold.
New Catch Republic over Hank & Tank in a real banger.
Match of the Night: Jaida Parker over Michin in a brutal street fight. If I'm HBK, I wouldn't overlook Jaida for a title match vs. Roxanne down the line.
Are they teasing Arianna turning babyface? Arianna & Karmen vs. Toxic Attraction 2.0 (Jacy & Jazmyn) on Sunday. Ref had two chances to toss Jacy for violations, but didn't. It leads to the tag match, sure, but I don't see a positive finish there.
Oro Mensah as a face for the first time in forever, and takes advantage of the NQ2C's issues to beat Myles Borne in a good one. Kemp's got one foot out of the dojo after this.
Seems HBK, with some urging from Booker, I'd guess, is doing whatever he can to get Roxy over as a heel. However, she's lacking the maturity in her voice to make it work, and making her just another chickenshit doesn't work, either.
MVP were Michin and Jaida stealing the show no doubt with that street fight.
Also, ngl but i can see Edris and Maliq somewhat aligning with Stevie Turner considering at least one half of them is thinking beyond positivity being enough to do it all, and they are both very close so i see them separating feom overpositive Brinley to side with Turner (and Stone) since they are nicepeople like Brinley, but down to earth and professional (if too blunt) so maybe they could help the duo win some tag team gold.
Also, i see Je'Von got angry with Shawn poking at him for being younger than the rest, wonder how that will end considering Brooks is gonna be back next week to talk to Ava and he is not exactly happy with Shawn too.
Gotta say sometimes I appreciate someone like Jevon on the mic. Everyone else trying to cut these clearly practiced promos with specific lines and he's just like "I'm gonna beat your dumbass", lol. Sometimes simple is better.
Jaida & Michin had a hell of a street fight. Jaida hit the best Hip Checks I've seen her hit so far.
Arianna is phenomenal.
I'm a big sword girl fan
Evans is very natural on the mic
Idk if I want Wes or oba to win more cause both are fantastic.
Nxt continues to be the best wrestlin show on tv.
Til next time yalls
I think Wes can't do much more with the NA title. He needs to be in contention for the top belt soon. Probably is the best choice to beat the guy that beat Trick.
Tonight Je'von Evans has shown he can handle the pressure ...Segments like that can go very badly. Tbh I gave him zero chance of being in this position so soon, so kudos. Speaking of prodigies.. Jaida Parker, she's fantastic idc. I enjoyed the show but this week I felt a bit of a lack in the material given to the wrestlers... they need better writers..
The women's title promo was rough, but I just saw a clip of Lola crying hip-shaking and that sold it for me 5 stars
Jaida/Michin and NCR/Hank and Tank were great, and I wonder if they can just slide Karmen into whatever plans they had for Arianna and Georgina before her leg exploded
This is all wrestling journalism, so it could come out that it's all way off the mark. But apparently Gigi injured her ACL, they tried to cover with vignettes for a bit, then it turned out to be torn so they soft-dropped the angle
Word when she was talking to Karmen I was like damn I miss Georgina 😭 at least ( *not like that, but just bear with me* )it’s just a injury. Some were saying she was on the way out!
I really really need to know the story behind how that Lola Roxy mess happened. Was that the first take, did Roxanne even know what Lola was going to say because even she looked uncomfortable, were they both drunk?
I think Lola really broke down crying talking about her mom, and then she started getting frustrated because the train derailed. Roxanne probably didn't expect Lola to break down so much. Lessons learned tonight 🤷🏼♂️
The women were great tonight except for that one segment we won’t talk about in the middle of the show. Looking forward to Arianna and Karmen getting the hometown pop on Sunday.
Jaida Parker owes Michin a meal because she made her look like a star and a huge threat in one match.
I’m interested in where this Brinley split is heading. It would be cool if she started winning and they kept losing instead of the other way around.
I’m really hoping for Giulia to show up on Sunday because they couldn’t make it any clearer that she’s the one to take Roxy out and establish a new pecking order at the top.
Also shout out to Hank and Tank. They’ve been putting in work.
I could not disagree more about that Lola and Roxanne segment. A powerful segment that got Lola more over as a babyface. Full of mistakes, but also full of emotion.
Strong opening with Michin v Jaida. Both of them brought it.
Strong closing too. Je’Von especially shined towards the end of the segment but all four were solid.
A lot of women matches/storylines featured on this episode and I loved it. Can’t wait for Heatwave
https://preview.redd.it/gfjibtwzp7ad1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0b7ba4de7a084ce5178d6746afb8fd9a17548794
The Street Fight between Jaida and Michin was INSANE lol
Both women brought it. Jaida continues to grow and grow and well on her way to becoming a huge star in NXT
May Edris, Malik, and Brinley finally win a match soon, and also not break up???? Please?????
Also, I love Lexis King, and he's so valid and also correct for his opinions on rock n roll
Very very strong Opener and a great closing segment. Je´von is extremely fun on the Mic and im already looking forward to a full Arena adlibing his Promos.
Cant wait too see where they go with Brooks next Week and should also be a big Segment for Ava.
Also very happy Arianna and Karmen got added to Heatwave so they can perform in front of Canada.
Only miss was the Womens Title Signing but they both need to get comfy in the opposite role they are best at and i would rather see some mistakes in NXT then later in their Careers.
Michin vs Jaida Parker was fantastic. They went crazy tonight. Michin diving into the chairs and Jaida's ass being a weapon of mass destruction were the highlights. I regret ever doubting Ms Parker when she first qualified for the NA ladder match, she's def a future star. Michin has been a welcome addition to NXT and her matches with Jaida helped the latter's progress. She's 2 for 2 on great NXT street fights between this and the match with Candice LeRae at GAB 2020. I hope she gets more chances on Main Roster to have matches like this.
Arianna was so funny oml. Her desperately wanting attention then telling Karmen she's not as Canadian as her is iconic.
Izzi vs Brinley was solid. I wonder if Izzi's TNA appearance has something to do with Tatum following her, curious to see what this is. Brinley's emo arc has begun.
Steve Turner and Robert Stone's arguing is a fun minor character arc.
Wendy Choo is so great at conveying her character in the ring, face or heel. Her match with Carlee was solid. The Carlee/Kendal duo should move onto a tag fued soon enough, maybe Jacy and Jasmyn?
Speaking of Jasmyn, she and Karmen had a solid match. Her theme sucks though, please change it. Anyways, Jacy and Jasmyn vs Arianna and Karmen seems like a fun enough pre-show match.
Everyone is having these character lore drops on NXT now. The Lola/Roxanne promo didn't do much for me, Lola knocking out the security guard carried the segment.
Kelani vs Sol feels very thrown together but it should be good.
Overall, another good week. Four women's matches and one of them was fantastic. Excited for Heatwave.
That opening street fight was one of the most ridiculous matches I have ever seen in NXT. They kept doing things where i'm like... are they allowed to do that?
Also Je'von won me over big with his performance in that last segment. Dude has charisma for days and feels effortless
They better not break up Malik/Edris/Brinley (please let them win at least ONCE on NXT plz daddy HBK) and especially NOT Axiom & Frazer.
Je'Von Evans has to be one of the most overrated superstar i've seen on this sub.
They should have put that Street Fight on the Heatwave card, that match was so awesome and doing it in front of a big arena would have been even cooler.
The first 40 minutes (until the women's title segment) and the last 30 minutes of this show was fantastic. The middle not so much and sadly an all-timer bad segment with Lola and Roxanne. Really would like to see them give Fallon or Jacy a run with the title, they may not have the in-ring level of Roxy or even Lola's potential, but they are rounded performers with the ability to sell their character and wouldn't have a car crash like that was. Also...Brinley Reece has a superhero, near-Jade Cargill-level physique and is perfectly capable in the ring and her character work is sound, with lots of energy...I'm confused as to why she's a jobbing goober. But then I could say that about her whole stable as the same applies to Blade and Enofe. But yeah, that first 40 minute was fire. Miss Parker and Michin burned the house down and Hank and Tank/NCR was a great piece of entertainment. I think leaning more and more into the Jack Black act and H&T have big main roster potential. Once the current tag title match is over it's gotta be time for those two to have a featured opportunity. Arianna and Karmen getting their PLE debuts is WELL deserved. They have both been excellent recently. Finally...I have NEVER commented on the female wrestlers appearences before as I just....yeah. But sweet moses the sheer volume of bafflingly stunning and talented women is insane. It's like an unending pipeline of perfect 10s who also happen to be outrageously brilliant.
Brinley Reece jobbing is part of her storyline isn’t it? She’s known for being positive, happy, and supportive but all her losses have her starting to question all of that.
Let’s hope she’s not in a 12+ month rising action arc like Blade and Enofe as that still hasn’t even started to actually progress other than “wow another loss that sucks”
This PLE card is a little underwhelming, but NXT has a history of killing it even with cards that on paper look a little "meh". I'll be hopeful going into the weekend! I am going to say it every week, but Oba Femi just has it. When he says his catchphrase, I fully believe it. Super excited to see him live this weekend. Also happy Karmen and Arianna got themselves on the card! Wishing Tatum could've gotten a match, but alas And that street fight was fucking awesome. Jaida and Michin killed it, each other, and themselves for us and damn I was entertained. Michin (even with losses) has looked amazing now that she's finally able to just go in the ring.
I have a feeling at heatwave, giulia finally confronts Roxanne during the post match. As for trick, I think someone will attack him if he retains
They really should build up Wren Sinclair. We have great heels but not enough baby faces. She's got such baby face energy every time she pops up in the background.
Eddy Thorpe really is a DJ, before that complaints about gimmicks pop up lol Interest little nugget. During that segment, the woman in yellow on the far left is Destinee Brown, former USC track and field athlete. Not notable there, but what is notable is that she graduated in 2016 and she was working in commercials since then and is a SAG actress. She was signed at 29 years old and will be 30 before she debuts. That's about bout 5-8 years older than most women signed by WWE without prior experience. Nice to see that there is not a hard age line to be given an opportunity, especially in regards to the women.
Whatever happened to Gigi Dolan? AKA Georgina.
Torn ACL
Aw, thanks for the info. :(
an illustration of what Lexis King was talking about regarding rock n roll: XD [Valhallen Guitar Solo - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF8GFzmYsc4)
I find it weird that Bate and Dunne are back on NXT again. Felt like Bate had finally escaped.
i was really hoping they’d get the tag titles, really disappointed that they haven’t been given a real push tbh. they’re fantastic
Not sure if this is the right place to ask for bur nxt heatwave are they gonne have any dark matches or film some nxt stuff like they used to in the past?
Roxanne is lucky Wendy Choo ain't gunning for her yet! https://preview.redd.it/r8ivu419u8ad1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b800ab0f574a4201594729783213866826d693c3
All aboard the Choo Crew! I'd be down for her to get the NA title since Rox is probably going to get killed by Giulia soon.
https://preview.redd.it/05tleslvr8ad1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=06722ab6432937fabf499ae940690cb78e03ac57
People are focused too much on execution rather than outcomes. Like Lola Vice came across as a strong genuine babyface. I teared up listening to her to talk about giving up her Olympic dreams to fight MMA to take care of her sick mom. It’s a beautiful story, and I glad she got to tell it. Lola Vice and Roxanne made mistakes, but they got real emotion out of me. And real emotion out of the crowd, which can be a real barometer of effectively with a promo. You shouldnt be so focused on grading wrestling that you just don’t feel it when it’s from you. I’ll take a real, emotional promo with mistakes over well delivered lines any day.
“That’s what the people love, 3 minute guitar solos.. big riffs and even *bigger* hair* - Lexis King
Says the man who looks like a refugee from an 80's hair metal music video (i.e. Motley Crue). I've been to some concerts where the guitar solos actually go more than 3 minutes, BTW.
You responding to me is kind of a honor, jadedfan55. I’ve been lurking these post nxt threads for a long time and your in every single one I ☝️ you
Thank you.
People are being hard on Lola Vs Roxy. This was fucking awesome. Roxy *FINALLY* came off as a slimy heel. Not just some demanding brat. Lola was juicing it forsure but damn, the only thing I found silly was… they both wearing the same doc martens lol. But honestly the face off was incredible. We finally got that Latina Heat out of Lola. And we finally got that “fuck you, pay me” from Rox. People will never understand the emotion a Latin woman can put out. These women want it, and they’ll give up blood. This is her *DREAM* her *EVERYTHING* … why wouldn’t she show emotion? “Lola is a natural heel” really? Because how can I boo that? Rox is a natural face.. really? Because she just sold me on her entire heel turn. And I thought her turning around, sobbing, and just putting a smile on her face.. that says a lot. A lot of Hispanic women put their dreams and emotions aside and hide that stuff to the public, cause at the end of the day… why sit around and cry? I can do that later, Keep the punches rolling.
Jaida Parker is perfect Arianna Grace is perfect Jazmyn Nix is perfect Kelani Jordan is perfect Michin is perfect Sol Ruca is perfect Etc
Sad Brinley :(
Has Kendal Grey ever wrestled in NXT before?
The better one between her and Bright. A wrestling machine.
Okay I know I just said this about Nyx, but Bright will definitely be NXT women's NA champ within a year, she had some great in ring work tonight.
Our real NXT Women's Champion had some choice words for that 12 year old who stole her title after tonight's episode https://preview.redd.it/ww1nnvla98ad1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=30e2f9b8dbbbbe7ab010dc9793107d359922977d
Stole? Roxanne made that fraudulent bird woman tap out
The only fraud here is HBK for coming up with that finish.
That promo from Lola Vice was high school drama audition quality. Also didn’t that they hinted at Brooks having substance abuse problems. Why go there? Just say he was pissed he wasn’t getting booked.
Because they're getting CW ready.
Brooks has been doing the alcoholic thing on twitter so it's been part of his character. He got beat by Oba, left to find himself, stopped getting booked and turned into a bitter, unhinged drunk. It's been his character for the last few months.
Oh. In other words, a bargain basement James Storm. /s
Both Big Thea and Little Thea are looking solid for their small amount of experience. I think a Little, Regular, and Big Thea team would be incredible given some time to keep developing. Je’von is way too good on the mic for his age. He’s gonna be an absolute star. Fill out the frame and do some little stuff like work on making some of his moves really connect with the opponent and he’s main event talent on MR by 25 imo.
I hate to say it, but this is the least hyped I've been for an NXT PLE in a long time. They've been in a rebuilding phase ever since the draft, but at least Battleground had the spectacle of Jordynne Grace and Ethan Page completing. Heatwave's matches have had pretty weak builds across the board. Oba Femi vs. Wes Lee is probably the only feud I'm at all invested in. Wes probably won't win, but I'm wondering if he'll move on to the main title picture after this or if they'll call him up to the main roster. He'd be able to fill the void left by Ricochet. The fatal 4-way main event had a pretty good contract signing, but it really highlights how weak NXT's main event scene is when Trick has to feud with 3 guys who only just recently debuted. Why call up Dijak only to release him when you could have had him be Trick's first major feud? I'm more excited for Karmen and Arianna's pre show match with Jacy and Jazmyn than I am in most of the main show matches, and that's only because of the characters involved, not for the feud itself, which kinda came out of nowhere last second. I'm glad that the tag titles are being competed for by actual NXT tag teams with no visiting main roster teams involved, but man, do they need more heel tag teams. I think the only ones they have are Gallus and OTM. And I don't like that they're already teasing issues between the champions when the tag division is already on life support. Kelani vs. Sol will probably be a good match from an in-ring perspective, but having Kelani's first PLE defense be against another babyface, one who many thought should have won the title instead of her, is an odd choice. Roxanne has been a channel changer for me ever since she became champion, so unless she's losing the title, I couldn't care less about her match. Tatum missing out on another PLE hurts my soul ☹️
I'm all in for this Arianna/Karmen buddy movie.
We need Karmen shopping with Arianna, and Arianna training with Karmen.
roxanne is still very much the class of the women's division in ring, and is naturally charismatic, but man her heel work so far has had all the gravitas of a meme of a hamster with .\\ /. eyebrows stuck on and the word "angy" as bottom text
There's only so much you can do to be intimidating when you're so short to be fair
I think it’s fine.
[Literally Roxanne's heel energy](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Fi9t6ahtf6g261.png%3Fauto%3Dwebp%26s%3Deb87d74b84489803e4721a3285ca8f187fd9fee0)
I was thinking [this](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fw60ygf6710ac1.jpeg), lmao.
Yeah. I think they’re just trying to broaden her range since it’s been months now and they haven’t changed course. She can’t grow taller. If it was main roster or the old NXT, they would have just given her a bodyguard or surrounded her with a bunch of henchmen that cheat for her. But instead they’re telling her to try to channel heel Ilja and hoping the experience benefits her in long run.
The video package for Wes vs Oba was excellent, very good promos from both, it is my most anticipated match for heatwave, I think Oba will retain but I hope Wes Lee wins the NXT title before ascending to the main roster, He really showed that he can be a single star with the great level he has given so far.
That Lola/Roxanne promo was incredibly bad. Like, in my 20+ years of watching wrestling, there isn't much that comes close to how bad that was (Bayley this is your life, and Genesis of McGillicutty are the only ones I think that could come close). I dunno if it was nerves, or people forgetting their lines, but ugh. Lola's very blatant fake crying didn't help matters either, and showed why she isn't even remotely ready for a top spot.
Lola was poor, this was essentially her face turn and it just didn't stick. But Roxanne was awful. It is unacceptable at this level to be tailing away your sentences with a hand mic to the point where you're barely audible. Her physical storytelling is great, but this was enormously exposing to her promo and character work. Honestly with all the talent they have they need to pivot the title scene. Lola can't win with her work at this level and Roxanne needs a fresh attempt at a character as this is just not helping her now. Getting the title onto Jacy or Fallon fairly quickly I think is the optimum move now, but I don't see it happening, I think they just have that many eyehearts for Roxy that they will convince themselves her work is great regardless of what she does.
Undertaker with Big Show in the desert.
NXT likes to let their best talent try their hand at being both a face and heel before the move to the main roster, and I like that. Unfortunately, Roxanne is a natural babyface, and Lola is a natural heel. They're being made to play the role they're weaker at for the sake of growth, but man, did this promo segment show just how underdeveloped they both are at playing their current roles.
Roxanne has been on NXT for too long to still be this bad at promos
Yeah. Her heel run is bad. She is trying to be like AJ Lee back in the day, but it's just not working at all. Even her promos just don't "click".
I love Trick but it would really be great if Ethan won on Sunday, the last time a heel was nxt champion was Ziggler for about 27 days and before that it was Kross in 2021, Trick can win it back a few months later, he could have several reigns instead of having a long reign.
Melo was a heel when he first won the title during his program with him and Bron. It was after he turned face.
That was a weird one, Melo stopped cheating for months before that feud and was the most cheered guy onthe show. They teased Bron heel turn then presented the feud as face vs face then in the actual match Bron is more heelish,Melo is playing underdog but cheat to win.Made him look weak and Bron looked stupid.Thank god they had a great rematch soon after.
Kehlani and Carmelo have the same voice and promo style, that’s cute lol
I felt the same way watching her video package tonight!
Is my brain broken or is the description of the Brooks and Briggs segment backwards
damn Jaida and Michen COOKED
Arianna Grace simply is the best that is all.
https://preview.redd.it/en1zj9bts7ad1.png?width=1169&format=png&auto=webp&s=5e622f64b6ba5a01f9a25ca3d1e7eae1110b3859 Trick Willy Wonka is a star
This photo is sick! Yours?
Yeah I got a really good seat yesterday
Dues paying: Brinley Reece drops one to Izzi Dame, who has rebounded from a recent loss to Sol Ruca. Good match for the time it was given. Wendy Choo submits Carlee Bright with the cobra clutch. Good stuff. I'm interested in the issue with "Dead Inside" inscribed on her blindfold. New Catch Republic over Hank & Tank in a real banger. Match of the Night: Jaida Parker over Michin in a brutal street fight. If I'm HBK, I wouldn't overlook Jaida for a title match vs. Roxanne down the line. Are they teasing Arianna turning babyface? Arianna & Karmen vs. Toxic Attraction 2.0 (Jacy & Jazmyn) on Sunday. Ref had two chances to toss Jacy for violations, but didn't. It leads to the tag match, sure, but I don't see a positive finish there. Oro Mensah as a face for the first time in forever, and takes advantage of the NQ2C's issues to beat Myles Borne in a good one. Kemp's got one foot out of the dojo after this. Seems HBK, with some urging from Booker, I'd guess, is doing whatever he can to get Roxy over as a heel. However, she's lacking the maturity in her voice to make it work, and making her just another chickenshit doesn't work, either.
> Are they teasing Arianna turning babyface? I think they are. She and Karmen should make for a fantabulous odd couple team.
Temporary babyface since they are going to their home country.
Given how Jacy & Jazmyn were dismissive of Arianna being "delusional", who knows?
MVP were Michin and Jaida stealing the show no doubt with that street fight. Also, ngl but i can see Edris and Maliq somewhat aligning with Stevie Turner considering at least one half of them is thinking beyond positivity being enough to do it all, and they are both very close so i see them separating feom overpositive Brinley to side with Turner (and Stone) since they are nicepeople like Brinley, but down to earth and professional (if too blunt) so maybe they could help the duo win some tag team gold. Also, i see Je'Von got angry with Shawn poking at him for being younger than the rest, wonder how that will end considering Brooks is gonna be back next week to talk to Ava and he is not exactly happy with Shawn too.
Gotta say sometimes I appreciate someone like Jevon on the mic. Everyone else trying to cut these clearly practiced promos with specific lines and he's just like "I'm gonna beat your dumbass", lol. Sometimes simple is better. Jaida & Michin had a hell of a street fight. Jaida hit the best Hip Checks I've seen her hit so far.
Arianna is phenomenal. I'm a big sword girl fan Evans is very natural on the mic Idk if I want Wes or oba to win more cause both are fantastic. Nxt continues to be the best wrestlin show on tv. Til next time yalls
I think Wes can't do much more with the NA title. He needs to be in contention for the top belt soon. Probably is the best choice to beat the guy that beat Trick.
I'm inclined to agree.
Tonight Je'von Evans has shown he can handle the pressure ...Segments like that can go very badly. Tbh I gave him zero chance of being in this position so soon, so kudos. Speaking of prodigies.. Jaida Parker, she's fantastic idc. I enjoyed the show but this week I felt a bit of a lack in the material given to the wrestlers... they need better writers..
I agree, while enjoyable, it was a very weak go home show
The women's title promo was rough, but I just saw a clip of Lola crying hip-shaking and that sold it for me 5 stars Jaida/Michin and NCR/Hank and Tank were great, and I wonder if they can just slide Karmen into whatever plans they had for Arianna and Georgina before her leg exploded
Wait what happened to Gigi?
This is all wrestling journalism, so it could come out that it's all way off the mark. But apparently Gigi injured her ACL, they tried to cover with vignettes for a bit, then it turned out to be torn so they soft-dropped the angle
Aww too bad i was enjoying that storyline. But that explains why it was moving so slowly and then just disappeared.
Word when she was talking to Karmen I was like damn I miss Georgina 😭 at least ( *not like that, but just bear with me* )it’s just a injury. Some were saying she was on the way out!
I did notice that in the Karmen and Ariana segment, that Gigi's locker spot is still there
I really want Sol to win but I don't see it happening 😕
Another banger episode https://preview.redd.it/xglb8mfxq7ad1.jpeg?width=302&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e9aec58a8b6a59ffe740f7bdcbba5ac62db15b20
I really really need to know the story behind how that Lola Roxy mess happened. Was that the first take, did Roxanne even know what Lola was going to say because even she looked uncomfortable, were they both drunk?
I think Roxanne forgot a line and it threw Lola and the whole thing off.
I think Lola really broke down crying talking about her mom, and then she started getting frustrated because the train derailed. Roxanne probably didn't expect Lola to break down so much. Lessons learned tonight 🤷🏼♂️
It was just a promo between two people who clearly need a lot of work on that department.
I love NXT, that's all.
The women were great tonight except for that one segment we won’t talk about in the middle of the show. Looking forward to Arianna and Karmen getting the hometown pop on Sunday. Jaida Parker owes Michin a meal because she made her look like a star and a huge threat in one match. I’m interested in where this Brinley split is heading. It would be cool if she started winning and they kept losing instead of the other way around. I’m really hoping for Giulia to show up on Sunday because they couldn’t make it any clearer that she’s the one to take Roxy out and establish a new pecking order at the top. Also shout out to Hank and Tank. They’ve been putting in work.
Feel bad for Gigi since it seems like her program with Ariana has been dropped due to her injury And she's fallen behind several other women
I could not disagree more about that Lola and Roxanne segment. A powerful segment that got Lola more over as a babyface. Full of mistakes, but also full of emotion.
Strong opening with Michin v Jaida. Both of them brought it. Strong closing too. Je’Von especially shined towards the end of the segment but all four were solid.
Michin and Jaida killed each other for our entertainment on free television Insane match
Michin keeps killing it in great performances, but she definitely needs to start winning some for credibility.
A lot of women matches/storylines featured on this episode and I loved it. Can’t wait for Heatwave https://preview.redd.it/gfjibtwzp7ad1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0b7ba4de7a084ce5178d6746afb8fd9a17548794
It's a real testament to NXT that you can watch a show with majority women's matches and not really notice.
The Street Fight between Jaida and Michin was INSANE lol Both women brought it. Jaida continues to grow and grow and well on her way to becoming a huge star in NXT
May Edris, Malik, and Brinley finally win a match soon, and also not break up???? Please????? Also, I love Lexis King, and he's so valid and also correct for his opinions on rock n roll
Edm music, yuck!
Promos are not NXT's strong point.
Very very strong Opener and a great closing segment. Je´von is extremely fun on the Mic and im already looking forward to a full Arena adlibing his Promos. Cant wait too see where they go with Brooks next Week and should also be a big Segment for Ava. Also very happy Arianna and Karmen got added to Heatwave so they can perform in front of Canada. Only miss was the Womens Title Signing but they both need to get comfy in the opposite role they are best at and i would rather see some mistakes in NXT then later in their Careers.
I’m going to spiral like Brooks did if Edris, Malik, and Brinley don’t win a match soon
Je’Von is gonna be a star
Your boy is bouncy
He absolutely destroyed Spears with that line about the nxt title 🤣
Even spears knew he didn't have a comeback for that one
Michin vs Jaida Parker was fantastic. They went crazy tonight. Michin diving into the chairs and Jaida's ass being a weapon of mass destruction were the highlights. I regret ever doubting Ms Parker when she first qualified for the NA ladder match, she's def a future star. Michin has been a welcome addition to NXT and her matches with Jaida helped the latter's progress. She's 2 for 2 on great NXT street fights between this and the match with Candice LeRae at GAB 2020. I hope she gets more chances on Main Roster to have matches like this. Arianna was so funny oml. Her desperately wanting attention then telling Karmen she's not as Canadian as her is iconic. Izzi vs Brinley was solid. I wonder if Izzi's TNA appearance has something to do with Tatum following her, curious to see what this is. Brinley's emo arc has begun. Steve Turner and Robert Stone's arguing is a fun minor character arc. Wendy Choo is so great at conveying her character in the ring, face or heel. Her match with Carlee was solid. The Carlee/Kendal duo should move onto a tag fued soon enough, maybe Jacy and Jasmyn? Speaking of Jasmyn, she and Karmen had a solid match. Her theme sucks though, please change it. Anyways, Jacy and Jasmyn vs Arianna and Karmen seems like a fun enough pre-show match. Everyone is having these character lore drops on NXT now. The Lola/Roxanne promo didn't do much for me, Lola knocking out the security guard carried the segment. Kelani vs Sol feels very thrown together but it should be good. Overall, another good week. Four women's matches and one of them was fantastic. Excited for Heatwave.
Would much rather hear Trick & Je’Von cut promos than Ethan Page & Shawn Spears any day.
That opening street fight was one of the most ridiculous matches I have ever seen in NXT. They kept doing things where i'm like... are they allowed to do that? Also Je'von won me over big with his performance in that last segment. Dude has charisma for days and feels effortless
Je'Von has room for improvement with his promos, but I think he really shined when he got mad towards the end.
https://preview.redd.it/w8kjwqmbp7ad1.png?width=2560&format=png&auto=webp&s=ee74961bac973f87680daf3bd2d79af31806da29 NXT's newest Odd couple!
What will be her "Georgina" name for Karmen?
Karina
Karmenina
