WWE NXT Review – July 25, 2023
Kicking off this week’s NXT with a recap of the North American Title match last week as well as Dominik Mysterio’s 2 title defenses.
Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley says Judgment Day runs all of WWE then cites the recent accomplishments of each member. She says she sees the looks on all the fans’ faces now that Mysterio is North American Champion and Mysterio says he finally made the Mysterio name relevant. She says it was courageous of Lyra Valkyria to step up to her but before she can continue Wes Lee’s music hits and he makes his way down to the ring.
Lee says he hates seeing his North American Title in Mysterio’s hand because the North American Title represented hard work and opportunity during his reign. He says he put his heart and soul into that North American Title and demands a rematch for the North American Title. Ripley says NXT needs a North American Champion and Lee agrees but says that needs to happen tonight.
Mustafa Ali’s music hits and he heads down to the ring & he says he has respect and love for Lee but he can’t say the same for Mysterio. He says Mysterio stole his North American Title from him because it’s what he does and says Mysterio stole his chance to become the North American Champion at The Great American Bash in his scheduled match with Lee. He says Lee drop the ball but catches himself and says he didn’t mean it. He says Mysterio cut the line and Lee allowed him to do just that. He reminds Lee that he warned him not to defend against Mysterio & Lee becomes angered. He gets in Ali’s face but Mysterio interrupts their stare down and says he doesn’t care which one of them he faces at The Great American Bash and will even defend against both of them at the behest of Ripley.
Ali looks to clock Mysterio but Mysterio ducks out of the way and hits Lee. Mysterio & Ripley sneak out of the ring as Ali & Lee brawl with one another before taking note of Mysterio’s absence inside the ring and stopping themselves.
Backstage Tony D’Angelo & Stacks were interviewed backstage by McKenzie Mitchell & they say that they would become the NXT Tag Team Champions before Bronco Lima & Lucien Prince interrupted them before D’Angelo challenges them to a match later in the night.
Backstage McKenzie Mitchell is with Lyra Valkyria & she says that she needed to see where she stood in NXT and that she would show the world who she was.
6 Man Tag Team Match
NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes, Trick Williams & Ilja Dragunov vs. The Schism (Joe Gacy, Jagger Reid & Rip Fowler)
Carmelo Hayes & Joe Gacy lock up to get this match started before Gacy delivers a shoulder tackle but Hayes fires back with a dropkick and a chop. Trick Williams tags in and delivers a dropkick of his own but Gacy levels him and tags in Rip Fowler.
Williams fires off right hands on Fowler’s midsection but Fowler responds with a shoulder tackle. Williams then delivers a bodyslam and a shoulder tackle of his own before landing a pop up right hand.
Ilja Dragunov tags himself in and delivers a chop then follows it up with an elbow drop and a jumping knee then delivers a knee off the middle rope but Fowler sends Dragunov crashing into the corner and tags in Jagger Reid.
Dragunov catches him with a pair of German suplexes and looks for a 3rd but Reid fights his way out. Dragunov then levels Reid and tags in Williams. Williams whips Reid into the corner but Reid levels him with a clothesline before taking a cheap shot at Hayes.
Hayes gets in the ring and looks to take out Reid & this allows Fowler to get in the ring and help Reid wear down Williams but Hayes eventually hops in the ring and helps Williams send The Dyad crashing to the outside as we go to a break.
After the break Reid wears down Hayes with a submission hold but Hayes fights his way out and delivers a superkick to Reid then tags in Williams. Gacy tags in and Williams fires off right hands on him then delivers a dropkick and a knee. He follows it up with a Flapjack before the pair spill to the outside.
Dragunov tags in and looks for a running headbutt on Gacy but he accidentally hits Williams so Gacy takes advantage and tosses Dragunov back in the ring then looks for the Upside Down but Dragunov catches him with a knee.
Reid tags in and rains down right hands on Dragunov then tags in Fowler as Dragunov tries fighting off The Dyad but The Dyad overpowers him. Gacy tags in as a pair of masked figures in Schism masks pulls Reid & Fowler off the apron & this opens the door for Hayes to tag himself in and hit Nothing But Net for the win.
Winners: NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes, Trick Williams & Ilja Dragunov
After the match Williams yells at Dragunov and looks to fight him but Hayes keeps him from doing so.
There was a video vignette of Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton & she says that she was nowhere near her prime. Stratton promised to defeat Thea Hail at Great American Bash in her 1st pay per view as Women’s Champion.
Von Wagner vs. Javier Bernal
Javier Bernal wastes no time as he looks for a series of offensive moves but Von Wagner overpowers him and rains down right hands on Bernal’s spine in the corner then follows it up with a big boot and more right hands then delivers a gutwrench uranage to get the win.
Winner: Von Wagner
After the match Wagner clears the announce desk and powerbombs Bernal through the table. Bron Breakker then appears out of nowhere and spears Wagner before grabbing a chair from under the ring and hitting Wagner’s hand with it.
After the break we see Carmelo Hayes encounter Ilja Dragunov before an irate Trick Williams walks in and gets into a heated exchange with Dragunov making it clear to him that he wants a chance to get his hands on him.
Gable Steveson thanks everyone in NXT and says many people might not know who he is. He introduces himself as a former Olympic Gold medalist and a 2x NCAA champion.
Before Steveson can continue Baron Corbin appears at ringside and tells Steveson that he should go back to college and the Olympics to win more championships. He tells Steveson not to come to NXT unless he wants to fail and says professional wrestling is an entirely different game. He says he’s done everything he’s been asked for the past 8 years but he no longer cares. He says while Steveson is a bad man, he’s swimming with sharks and staring eye 2 eye with a Great White who’s starving. Steveson says Corbin just made his decision easier and challenges Corbin to his 1st ever professional wrestling match at Great American Bash before he delivers a pair of German suplexes to Corbin.
Backstage Dominik Mysterio is with Rhea Ripley. Mysterio asked if Ripley challenging Ali & Lee on his behalf was a good idea but Ripley responded by saying that Mami is always right.
Kendo Stick Match
Dana Brooke vs. Cora Jade
Cora Jade looks to hit Dana Brooke with her kendo stick but Brooke meets her on the outside and overpowers her then she tosses Jade back in the ring and the bell sounds. Brooke rains down right hands before the action spills back to the outside and Brooke sends Jade crashing into the ring steps.
She then tosses her over the announce table and grabs a kendo stick as she looks to hit Jade’s hand with it but Jade trips her before she can and grabs a kendo stick of her own then she cracks it across Brooke’s ribs and sends her crashing into the ring apron face first then hits her with the stick once more and dumps her back into the ring.
Jade tosses several kendo sticks into the ring then picks one up and hits Brooke with it then bodyslams Brooke into the pile and locks in a crossface using the leverage of one of the sticks. Brooke escapes and Jade cracks the stick across her ribs then uses it to trap Brooke in the corner and delivers a jumping knee.
She looks for a DDT but Brooke prevents her from executing it and sends her into the kendo stick spine first. Brooke then delivers a pair of clotheslines and a handspring elbow but Jade manages to land a DDT and goes for a pin but Brooke kicks out.
Jade grabs a chair from the outside and sets it up in the ring then grabs a kendo stick and looks to hit Brooke with it. Jordan hops up on the apron and Jade charges at her with the stick but Jordan hops down before they can make contact & this opens the door for Brooke to send Jade into the chair face first then crack it across her spine a couple of times.
Jordan then hands Brooke a pink kendo stick and Brooke unleashes on Jade then hits her with it repeatedly then places it on top of the chair along with several others.
Brooke then suplexes Jade on top of the chair and kendo sticks before she ascends to the top and delivers a Swanton Bomb for the win.
Winner: Dana Brooke
Carmelo Hayes confronts Ilja Dragunov backstage to tell him that Trick Williams would call him out. Dragunov said that he appreciated Hayes’s friendship with Williams but warns him that if Williams calls him out he would break him.
Drew Gulak & Charlie Dempsey trained with Myles Bourne before Damon Kemp met them. Kemp said that he was looking for partners that could push him.
Tag Team Match
Tony D’Angelo & Stacks vs. Bronco Nima & Lucien Price
Match starts off with Stacks & Bronco Nima lock up then Stacks delivers a boot to Nima’s face but Nima fires back with a shoulder tackle and tags in Lucien Price. Price & Nima deliver a double shoulder tackle but Stacks fires back with an uppercut and tags in Tony D’Angelo.
D’Angelo sends Price crashing into the mat but Price fires back with a back heel kick before Nima tags in and delivers a stomp but D’Angelo lands a couple of kicks on his midsection. Stacks tags in and wears down Nima before Price tags in and delivers an assisted gutbuster with Nima.
Price then delivers a clothesline in the corner and tags in Nima & Stacks delivers an uppercut off the middle rope as Axiom blindsides Scrypts on the outside.
Price & D’Angelo tag in back in the ring and D’Angelo delivers a pair of belly 2 belly suplexes to Price. He follows it up with a spinebuster and enlists the help of Stacks to deliver the Bada Bing for the win.
Winners: Tony D’Angelo & Stacks
After the match NXT Tag Team Champions Gallus appears on the Titan Tron with a special message for The Family ahead of their NXT Tag Team Titles match at The Great American Bash.
Backstage Dijak cuts a promo & he calls out Eddy Thorpe then says that he was still aiming for gold & would stop anyone that comes in his way.
After the break we head over to a video of Roxanne Perez attacking Blair Davenport in a store.
Lash Legend welcomes fans to Supernova Sessions before Oro Mensah introduces their special guest Noam Dar. Jakara Jackson calls for a round of applause for the real Heritage Cup Champion but Dar stays in his gloomy state. Legend then recalls Dar not being medically cleared to defend his Heritage Cup against Nathan Frazer & Mensah says while he gave it his all Frazer ran away with his cup. Jackson says Frazer never actually lost to Dar and Legend says they have a surprise for Dar. She hands him a Heritage Cup and Dar cheers up. He falls out of his chair and grabs the cup from Legend. Jackson gives Dar a proper introduction and Dar declares himself as the one and only real Heritage Cup Champion.
Heritage Cup Champion Nathan Frazer & Dragon Lee then appear and Frazer asks Lee if he’s really seeing double. Lee confirms he is and calls Dar delusional for being unable to see that he isn’t Heritage Cup Champion. Dar says he never actually lost his Heritage Cup and Frazer calls Dar a massive fraud. Dar calls for security to escort Frazer & Lee.
Frazer says that now Dar has clearly recovered, there’s no reason they can’t solve their issues. Mensah points out that it’s 2 against 4 and Lee asks Meta 4 what makes them think that they came alone. Yulisa Leon & Valentina Feroz attack Legend & Jackson before Frazer and Lee join in and attack Dar & Mensah.
There was a training vignette of Thea Hail alongside Duke Hudson & Andre Chase ahead of her match against Tiffany Stratton for the Women’s Title at Great American Bash.
There was a vignette of Humberto Carrillo & Angel Garza in the Parking Lot with Carrillo asking Garza if they were chasing Women or chasing the glory.
Non Title Match
Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley vs. Lyra Valkyria
Match starts off with a lock up before they go back & forth with submission holds before Rhea Ripley delivers a shoulder tackle. Lyra Valkyria steps over Ripley but Ripley responds with several shoulders to her midsection in the corner then follows it up with a German suplex and a dropkick that sends Valkyria tumbling out of the ring & that takes us to a break.
After the break Ripley stomps on Valkyria’s foot and plants her face first before she goes for a pin but Valkyria kicks out. Ripley sets up for Riptide but Valkyria counters into a sleeper but Ripley fights her off and delivers a headbutt then she ascends to the top rope but Valkyria knocks her off and sends her crashing to the outside.
Valkyria looks for a dropkick through the middle rope but Dominik Mysterio pushes Ripley out of the way and absorbs the maneuver then she catches Ripley with a diving hurricanrana then ascends to the top and goes flying. Ripley catches her and looks to plant her but Valkyria counters into a DDT.
She climbs back up to the top and delivers a splash then nails Ripley with an enziguri and follows it up with a dropkick to her knee then Valkyria looks to go flying off the ropes but Ripley catches her with a knee and plants her with Riptide for the win.
Winner: Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley
After the match Ripley tells Valkyria to prove her right by beating Jacy Jayne.
After the break Trick Williams marches down to the ring and says Carmelo Hayes will defeat Ilja Dragunov this Sunday at Great American Bash then calls him out to the ring.
Dragunov appears and Williams goes straight after him then he delivers a dropkick to him on the outside then delivers a pair of right hands and sends Dragunov crashing into the barricade. He fires off right hands and executes a bodyslam then tosses him into the ring steps. Dragunov levels Williams and delivers three German suplexes before dumping Williams into the ring and firing off chops on him. He lands a pair of forearms and tosses Williams into the corner then reminds Williams that he wanted a fight and looks for the Torpedo. Carmelo Hayes appears out of nowhere and absorbs the maneuver on behalf of Williams.
Dragunov grabs a mic and tells Hayes he is a man of honor and loyalty. He tells Hayes to hang on to his friendship with Williams because it will be all he has left when he dethrones him on Sunday as NXT Champion then holds up the NXT Title to close out this week’s NXT.
Match Of The Night
Non Title Match- 7/10
Great American Bash Card (July 30th)
North American Title Triple Threat Match
Dominik Mysterio (c) vs. Mustafa Ali vs. Wes Lee
NXT Title Match
Carmelo Hayes (c) vs. Ilja Dragunov
NXT Tag Team Titles Match
Gallus (Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) (c) vs. Tony D’Angelo & Stacks
Women’s Title Submission Match
Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Thea Hail
Weapons Wild Match
Blair Davenport vs. Roxanne Perez
Gabe Steveson vs. Baron Corbin
8 Person Tag Team Match
Heritage Cup Champion Nathan Frazer, Dragon Lee, Valentina Feroz & Yulisa Leon vs. Meta 4 (Noam Dar, Oro Mensah, Lash Legend & Jakara Jackson) (Pre Show)
