Dominik Mysterio returned with Rhea Ripley to face Wes Lee for the NXT North American Championship after last week's sneak peek.
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The July 18 broadcast of WWE NXT featured a night of action with only 12 days until Great American Bash 2023. Dominik Mysterio returned with Rhea Ripley to face Wes Lee for the NXT North American Championship after last week’s sneak peek at the gold brand. Would GAB competitor Mustafa Ali’s ambitions be derailed by Dirty Dom? Los Lotharios, who have threatened NXT for weeks, were gonna be silenced, Dragon Lee and Nathan Frazer hoped. Could they defeat the seasoned team of Humberto Carrillo and Angel Garza?
After playing mind games for weeks, Gigi Dolin and Kiana James would battle again. Thea Hail wanted her match against Elektra Lopez to gain more momentum. Which female competitors might triumph and maybe confront Tiffany Stratton? After spending a considerable amount of time in the neighborhood prison, Tony D’Angelo would return to NXT. As The Don and Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo prepared to face him, Gallus was expected to be close behind.
The NXT Championship match between Carmelo Hayes and Ilja Dragunov was scheduled to take place, therefore it was anticipated that they would both speak before the event. Even if the action was not the most captivating, NXT kept bringing fans new matches as it prepared for another significant premium live show.
Ilja Dragunov was to blame for Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams losing the main event last week, according to Hayes. The Czar made it apparent that he was taking the necessary steps to compete for the NXT Championship at last. The two exchanged sharp looks as it came to a close. This was a decent but not particularly thrilling way to open the evening. Dragunov must have been careful not to overshadow Melo because Melo makes much better promotional material.
Due to the small design, this also lacked any genuine heat. The match will be fantastic, but NXT is still having trouble taking the right steps to elevate Melo feuds to must-see television. While other stories on the show are more complex, The A Champion just survives on his inherent charm and agility.
Nathan Frazer defeated Los Lotharios with a dropkick and an outside dive after they were overly preoccupied with flirting with Valentina Feroz and Yulisa Leon at ringside. He returned Humberto to the ring so that he could win with a tilt-a-whirl inverted DDT. This tag team competition was outstanding. Each week, Dragon and Frazer continue to impress in the ring. The fact that Los Lotharios were motivated to work hard also helped.
A team this good missing out on time on SmackDown or Raw is astounding. Even though it is worrying that Los Lotharios appear to be breaking up, Angel and Humberto’s future should still be promising. The A Champion just gets by on his natural charm and agility, whereas other stories on the show have more complicated plots.
After Kiana James’ bag was dragged into the ring, Gigi Dolin became overly preoccupied with it. James used the situation and gave her a 401K on the bag. This match limped to a lethargic conclusion after a lackluster first three minutes that made Dolin look bad. After another month of preparation for this rivalry, this was a waste. The only intriguing aspect of this tale is the hint that Dolin might encourage James to change. In this game, that was in no way noticeable. Dolin’s credibility has just diminished.
After a few minutes, SCRYPTS fired a right hand blast at Axiom while observing Bronco Nima and Lucien Price gather the fragments. The new tag triumphed by clotheslining a corner and then throwing an Irish Whip into a large boot. Why did it matter? Since their potential tag team has no other compelling storyline, Axiom and SCRYPTS have been forced to spend months together. It disappeared just as soon as it appeared.
Any momentum that Dabba-Kato had was destroyed by the heroic team. Why is that narrative still being told when it has always been clear that Axiom is far too famous to be at war with SCRYPTS? For Nima and Price, this served as a dull showcase. They hardly committed any offense, and this did nothing to develop their personalities.
With their families present, Tony D’Angelo and Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo rejoiced in the ring. Mark Coffey, Wolfgang, and a furious Joe Coffey left. A fight broke out, and The Family emerged victorious by winning the NXT Tag Team Championships. This was a strong segment that put the finishing touches on a strong story. This was a two-month investment that paid off for NXT. The Family is prepared to wrest the titles away from Gallus. These teams’ storytelling skills have been put on full exhibit, and the in-ring combat ought to enhance the build. The Don and The Underboss will devise a strategy to defeat Joe at ringside in this brutal brawl.
Read more: WWE Raw Results, Highlights and Winners from July 17, 2023
Thea Hail reversed right into the Kimura Lock during Elektra Lopez’s early dominance of the contest, forcing a tap-out. Hail singled out Tiffany Stratton after the game. After leaving, The Centre of the Universe agreed to the rematch. The champion was imprisoned in a Kimura by the challenger until the latter agreed to make it a submission-only contest. This was over in just a minute. This made sense as Hail continues to establish her authority, even though Lopez is capable of more than he shown here. To promote the idea that everyone taps out to the Kimura, NXT has done everything within its power.
Making the women’s match submission-focused should help Stratton continue to develop by giving her another finishing to choose from. In this conflict, Hail challenges Stratton for the title and competes in the biggest match of her career. The winner will be the champion, but either woman will leave as a famous person.
By using a running spinning heel kick in the corner, Oro Mensah defeated Eddy Thorpe with the aid of Lash Legend, Jakara Jackson, Noam Dar, and Dijak. Following Thorpe’s spectacular victory in NXT Underground, this outcome was unexpected. He was, nevertheless, well guarded. Thorpe vs. Dijak is a wise rivalry for both men and will put The Alpha Wolf back on track. Meta-Four is beginning to reassemble as a stable in the meanwhile. Dar is doing a good job of portraying his severe despair, which is letting the other members of the group talk for themselves. This stable has swiftly changed.
Roxanne Perez was informed by Blair Davenport that she was not prepared to participate in the new NXT. The Prodigy promised to arrive with an anger she’s never displayed in response. Until The Prodigy left the interview, Davenport kept making fun of Perez. With Perez and Davenport, NXT has a compelling narrative to tell. The Prodigy seems prepared to match her opponent physically in round two, although their first bout lacked the required fire and aggression. If so, this might steal the show. Perez will be able to prove herself and refocus at this crucial juncture in her career. The Prodigy might not return to the title picture very soon if she fails, though.
Rhea Ripley, who defeated Wes Lee to win the Women’s World Championship, did so as Finn Bálor and Damian Priest served as a distraction. In order to capture the NXT North American Championship, Dominik Mysterio covered him. Mysterio is at a point in his ring career where repetitions like this will help him. For the first ten minutes, he kept this going more slowly than was necessary, but once Lee started making his comeback, the action really picked up. This clearly fell short of Lee’s customary caliber as a champion.
This was a challenging way for Lee to end a successful reign in which he set every milestone possible for an NXT North American champion. The champion, who was absolutely outperforming Dirty Dom before The Judgement Day took it, was undoubtedly protected, nevertheless. Come the Great American Bash, Mustafa Ali will be in a difficult situation as a result. What adjustments will the PLE make to the title match? A genuinely unexpected outcome leaves many questions unresolved.
This programme was awful. Each match after the opening tag team contest ranged from forgettable to downright awful. Tony D’Angelo’s Homecoming was the main redeemed section. NXT made multiple attempts to develop future storylines, but none were particularly successful. SCRYPTS once more adopted a villainous stance. To win a bad match, Gigi Dolin went insane. The unexpected victory of Dominik Mysterio is the only conceivable exception. It could be exciting to watch him in a title fight, but it appeared much better to end Wes Lee’s rule by giving Mustafa Ali the reins.
Great American Bash’s buildup was at best subdued. Ilja Dragunov vs. Carmelo Hayes was a dull matchup. To think that Thea Hail will ultimately defeat Tiffany Stratton is to underestimate her power. The NXT bookers obviously wanted to make a big impression. After the show is over, SmackDown and Raw will discuss it. But there wasn’t nearly enough to see that was enjoyable to start a conversation.
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