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Credit: WWE.com
The June 14 edition of WWE NXT 2.0 was all about opportunity. Young talent wanted to prove themselves against the established champions.
Mandy Rose, Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne has dominated NXT throughout 2022, but Roxanne Perez has got an advantage against the group that no one has before. She has a guaranteed title shot, and she has friends in Cora Jade and Indi Hartwell ready to help her dethrone Toxic Attraction.
The Creed Brothers have promised to be fighting champions. Their first challengers were Edris Enofe and Malik Blade. Bron Breakker continues to look for his next challenger.
Xyon Quinn looked to prove Wes Lee’s win over him was fluke in a rematch. Joe Gacy’s group The Dyad and Giovanni Vinci would make their NXT 2.0 debuts.
NXT 2.0 needs to continue building a foundation for the future. Nights like this help to create that focus.
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Edris Enofe and Malik Blade gave The Creed Brothers a tough fight. However, Julius Creed caught Blade with a side suplex to set up a running clothesline by Brutus Creed to win.
This was a solid opener, particularly important with the titles on the line. Blade and Enofe showed off their athleticism and got some nearfalls, even if it was never believable that they would win.
Sometimes, it is fine to just have a match that builds up the legacy of the champions. The Creed Brothers will work with many great wrestlers along the way, and this was just the first step.
Grade
B
Notable Moments
- Roderick Strong, Damon Kemp and Ivy Nile watched this match from backstage.
- Blade lifted Brutus and planted him before tagging Enofe for a diving elbow and nearfall.
- Julius got the hot tag and ran over Enofe with a pair of forearms but rebounced into a dropkick.
- Late in the night, Nile gave credit to Tatum Paxley for putting in the work. Strong didn’t like her supporting someone who loses. The Creed Brothers told Strong he and Kemp had a match next week.
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Tiffany Stratton controlled the action in this match throughout. However, after a surprise Wendy Choo appearance, Fallon Henley rolled her up for the win.
The Buff Barbie has now found a solid base for her performances. She is not going to blow anyone away, but she is no longer awkward or dangerous to work with. Henley and Stratton did what they could with the time.
Unfortunately, once again as always, NXT 2.0 matches get about 3 minutes each. This was barely allowed to get going before a lame finish that should not have been allowed by the referee. On top of that, WWE’s 50-50 booking takes away from Stratton without helping Fallon.
Grade
D+
Notable Moments
- Someone was oddly bouncing around in the background during Stratton’s entrance. It was revealed to be Choo on a ball, who showered Stratton with confetti before the finish of the match.
- Apollo Crews cut a pre-taped promo about what NXT means to him.
- Lash Legend talked down Alba Fyre for taking her spotlight. She then focused on her own athletic history.
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Xyon Quinn walked into this match confident, but he lost control of the match quickly. Wes Lee hit him with a backflip kick into a corkscrew moonsault for the victory.
As good as Lee is, this felt like a slap in the face to Quinn. He has been nearly unstoppable in NXT, but he got squashed in less than three minutes. These two can have a great match together, but NXT 2.0 has refused to give fans that performance.
At the very least, it seems Lee could be starting to find his way as a singles star. If he starts picking up steam, he is an interesting opponent for Carmelo Hayes.
Grade
D
Notable Moments
- Indi Hartwell pouted backstage until Cora Jade and Roxanne Perez cheered her up. Later, Toxic Attraction mocked all three with complete confidence.
- Sanga was speaking with Yulisa Leon and Valentina Feroz until he got into an argument with Quinn.
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Joe Gacy put over his future plans before The Dyad came out to dominate for him. The unnamed hooded men controlled Dante Chen and Javier Bernal before hitting an elevated DDT for the victory.
It takes some experienced talent to be able to work in red cloaks with your face obscured. This was not great, but it was better than it could have been. For the sake of both men, it would be a good idea to reveal them sooner rather than later.
Mysteries can make for exciting television, but the longer NXT waits, the more obvious it will be. Avoiding speculation, there are only a few people that could be Gacy’s goons.
Grade
D+
Notable Moments
- After the match, Gacy named his group The Schism, calling for others to join him like The Dyad.
- Nathan Frazer talked about her history growing up in Jersey, Channel Islands.
- Nikkita Lyons promised that she would return as soon as she could from her partially torn MCL.
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Tony D’Angelo gave Two Dimes and Stacks promotions into Soldiers of the Family. The Don then turned to Legado del Fantasma, forcing Joaquin Wilde, Raul Mendoza and Santos Escobar to shake his hand.
Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams interrupted after D’Angelo mentioned winning title. The Don announced he would challenge Melo next week for the NXT North American Championship. Stacks and Two Dimes then talked their way into a tag match against Melo and Trick.
There was a lot going on in this segment, which made it better. D’Angelo and Escobar’s hate for one another runs deep, and The Emperor is clearly far from broken yet. He is just waiting for his next opening to betray The Family.
While heel vs. heel is too frequent in NXT lately, Melo can get the crowd behind him without hesitation. He is inherently likable and will push D’Angelo to one of his best matches to date.
Grade
B
Notable Moments
- D’Angelo gave Stacks and Two Dimes fancy watches as Legado looked at their nicer watches.
- This was an awkward segment to watch with the knowledge that Troy “Two Dimes” Donovan was released on Monday.
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Duke Hudson tried to sneak attack Bron Breakker, but it only motivated the NXT champion. He threw around the big man before Spearing him and winning with a military press powerslam. Cameron Grimes called Breakker’s success nepotism then challenged him for a title match at NXT Great American Bash.
While Breakker vs. Hudson was a complete squash, it was very intentional. Hudson had already pushed the champion in a previous match and had kept goading him until he got what was coming to him.
What mattered more here was Cameron Grimes’ impassioned promo. It makes sense that he would go after the NXT champion after losing the NXT North American Championship from his explanation. He wants to win for his father, no matter what it takes.
This will be a special main event to watch and possibly the best title defense of Breakker’s run so far.
Grade
B+
Notable Moments
- In catering, Breakker tried to cheer up Grimes, who was not interested. Hudson taunted the NXT champion into giving him a title shot.
- Edris Enofe and Malik Blade were ready to leave for the club, and Grimes stopped them. He told both men, especially Enofe, that they needed to be hungrier to succeed.
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Guru Raaj could barely get Giovanni Vinci to move, even making no impact with a dropkick. Vinci took him down of his own time, winning with an elevated powerbomb.
The former Fabian Aichner is extremely talented. This gimmick though did little to breed confidence in him as a solo star. He is just a strong European talent, a gimmick that is plentiful on the main roster. The only difference is that he is Italian, but that did not play out at all in the match.
Hopefully, Vinci will find his stride with his gimmick, able to show more character. His main issue is that he needs an injection of charisma. Give him a manager, and he will do just fine.
Grade
D
Notable Moments
- During his entrance, Vinci stopped at several points for pictures of his winning smile.
- Backstage, Grayson Waller interrupted Solo Sikoa and talked his way into a match next week.
