With WWE NXT Battleground in the rearview mirror, the build to NXT Heatwave began in earnest during tonight’s NXT. Heatwave wasn’t the only thing on NXT’s docket, however, as NXT’s celebrated crossover with TNA also continued to provide fun moments with the inclusion of Joe Hendry and Frankie Kazarian in the episode’s thrilling 25-Man Battle Royal. The women’s division also continued to showcase why it’s one of the best around with powerhouse partnerships (Roxanne Perez and Lola Vice) and a thrilling defense of the division’s newest Championship. Throw in the off-the-wall intrigue of Brooks Jensen and you have an intriguing 2 hours of TV, and we’re breaking down the best and worst moments of the night.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Best Moments
Joe Hendry Makes an Entrance: The NXT TNA crossover continued tonight, and included a major fan favorite in Joe Hendry. Hendry made a grand entrance and had the crowd chanting his name as he delivered a promo outside the ring. Once he was in the ring he challenged everyone to come after him, and they did just that, with a majority of the 25 men in the match swarming him and throwing him over the ropes. From his appearance backstage afterwards, it seems Hendry isn’t done with WWE just yet, making this just the start of more entertaining antics to come.
The Battle Royal Delivered: Speaking of that Battle Royal, what a fantastic way to kick off the show. The match delivered in more ways than one, and the final four offered some intriguing choices for Williams’ challenger. After some thrilling action in the final minutes, having Je’Von Evans take the win was also an unexpected choice, but it will likely yield a stellar match at Heatwave, even if someone else (like Ethan Page) enters into the match at some point.
Whatever Is Happening With Brooks: The Brooks Jensen saga continued during tonight’s episode, and once again the creativeness of the whole bit is what makes it so fascinating. Brooks did make an actual appearance on the show tonight before being dragged away by security, and the fact that no one, including the talent in the ring, seems to know when this stuff will happen only adds to its effectiveness. This continued outside during an Eddy Thorpe promo, where you saw Brooks getting taken to a car by police. The fact is that I care about Brooks Jensen and what’s going on even if I don’t fully understand it, and to me that’s a win.
Worst Moments
Quick Elimination: While Hendry made a fantastic entrance and clearly had an effect on the crowd, it was followed by a supremely quick exit from the match. Granted, it still played up the storyline from TNA with Kazarian, and it took everyone and their brother to get him out, but it still would have been great to showcase what he can do in the ring by keeping him in the match for a while longer.
Perhaps A Bit Too Distracting: While the Brooks storyline is producing some surreal and unpredictable moments, it did have one unfortunate effect on Wes Lee’s and Oba Femi’s segment tonight. The ruckus that was happening in the crowd seemed to genuinely distract Lee and Femi for a minute, causing the segment to kind of stall while they got back into their promos as Jensen was carried away. It was a quickly fixed issue, but there was a noticeable bit of awkwardness right in the thick of the exchange.
Highlights
Roxy and Lola Are Quite the Team: The typical “Can they co-exist” story between Roxanne Perez and Lola Vice was far more fun than expected, and they actually make quite the entertaining Tag Team. Having Perez lean into her heel persona even more with Vice was perfection, and attacking Vice to stay one step ahead spotlights Perez as a tactical threat in addition to her in-ring skillset. The eventual Title match should be even better with all the bad blood the two are building up leading into Heatwave.
A New Alliance Begins: Speaking of heels, the seeds for a new alliance might have been sown tonight with the venting session that included Jazmyn Nyx, Jacy Jayne, and Fallon Henley. Henley looks more and more comfortable in a heel role every single week and is really starting to embrace it, and Jayne and Nyx are the perfect people to align with to form a new powerhouse faction, especially with Kelani Jordan and Sol Ruca being the faces in charge at the moment.
Tonight’s Results
- Je’Von Evans Wins 25-Man Battle Royale
- Roxanne Perez and Lola Vice def. Jazmyn Nyx and Jacy Jayne and Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson
- Kelani Jordan (C) def. Michin
- Fallon Henley def. Carlee Bright
- Chase U’s Duke Hudson and Andre Chase def. The Good Brothers (Gallows and Anderson)
- Ethan Page def. Je’Von Evans
Next Week’s Card
- Women’s North American Championship No.1 Contender’s Match: Ariana Grace vs Sol Ruca
- Tag Team Turmoil Match: TBA (Winners Challenge Tag Team Champions at Heatwave)
- NXT Heritage Cup Match: Tony D’Angelo (C) vs. Nathan Frazer
NXT Heatwave Card And Predictions
- Prediction – NXT Championship Triple Threat Match: Trick Williams (C) vs. Je’Von Evans vs. Ethan Page
- Prediction – NXT Women’s Championship Match: Roxanne Perez (C) vs. Lola Vice
- Prediction – WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Match: Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn (C) vs. Jacy Jayne and Jazmyn Nyx
What did you think of tonight’s NXT? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!
