Reviews by Dave
By David E Houston II
Show air date: August 24, 2021
NXT on USA was a decent show with some good wrestling as they move things forward coming out of the TakeOver 36 pay-per-view.
Ridge Holland defeated Timothy Thatcher
NXT got off to a painfully slow start with that nothing promo segment with Ted DiBiase and Cameron Grimes but got much better fast with Ridge Holland defeating Timothy Thatcher in a good match. The pacing might have been a bit slow, but they worked a basically good match with Thatcher matching his grappling and submission technique against Holland’s superior power.
Didn’t get why it took them so long for Thatcher to attack Holland’s leg with all of us knowing Holland is coming back from a broken ankle but you know…WWE. A good brawl after the match with Thatcher’s partner, Tommaso Ciampa, saving him from more punishment from Holland, bringing out Holland and Dunne’s allies, Oney Lorcan, and a returning from injury Danny Burch.
In-Dex. Fast forward.
Jim Ross, He Wasn’t
I liked the one-on-one interviews and there should be more of them. But the interviewer with NXT Breakout Tournament finalists Carmelo Hayes and Odyssey Jones was terrible. The most basic cliche questions that did nothing to really feature any personality from either man. Jim Ross, he wasn’t.
Kayden Carter and Kacy Catanzaro defeated Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne
Kayden Carter and Kacy Catanzaro were back and beat Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne. It was okay. Dolin and Jayne lose twice because now it looks like Mandy Rose has taken a shine to them.
Saved By Franky
NXT Women’s champion Raquel González was coasting with her backstage interview and was saved by an interruption by Franky Monet (where is Mr. Mundo??).
Kay Lee Ray defeated Valentina Feroz
Kay Lee Ray beat newcomer Valentina Feroz, who must have thought with Karrion Kross gone, the “grit my teeth real hard for no reason” gimmick was free. Probably should have wrapped this up faster but a solid squash.
And New NXT Champion
New NXT champion Samoa Joe did a better job of elevating Karrion Kross in two sentences than booking has done in two months. Considering how hot he’s been talking, Pete Dunne had better had answered Joe’s challenge.
That was not the place for LA Knight, the man who lost to Grimes at TakeOver, and bruh, Kyle O’Reilly should not do humor. Ciampa came out to settle up with Dunne but finished eyeballing Joe and the NXT Title. That is definitely on the schedule for later. O’Reilly then gets into a scuffle with a slick-talking Duke Hudson and thinks it’s smart to slap a grown man.
Camelo Hayes defeated Odyssey Jones
Hayes and Jones had a very good match in the finals of the Breakout Tournament with a good normal wrestling story: Hayes’ athleticism, speed, and endurance vs Jones’ overwhelming power and size. Since both are faces, NXT made sure neither of them was overly aggressive so they didn’t turn the crowd against either. Hayes won with a crucifix roll with both men bleeding.
Main Event: Legado del Fantasma defeated Hit Row
Legado del Fantasma maintained their advantage in their feud with Hit Row, this time beating them in the six-man main event tag match. Another good match and good main event though it had some moments and spots that made me think it was Wednesday night already. Hit Row has been faces for a few weeks so they stopped being smart as B-Fab stood there talking to a woman holding a pipe (Elektra Lopez making her Legado debut). I think she’s come to fight, Sis. So Legado wins because they’re just smarter.
Solid show to follow TakeOver and start-up new stories for the late summer/fall.
Thanks for reading! Tell us what you thought about the August 24, 2021 episode of WWE NXT in the comment section below or on our social media platforms. Use the hashtags #DDTDivas and #ReviewsByDave
