The John Report: WWE NXT 06/11/24 Review
This week on WWE NXT saw an appearance from Cody Rhodes along with Trick Williams in the ring, plus Lexis King facing Dante Chen, and more.
As usual with NXT, I will do a summary style for most of the show and then play-by-play for one or two matches.
This episode took place at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. Follow me on Twitter/X @johnreport. My WWE NXT Review archive is here. Let’s get to it.
There was a video package showing highlights from NXT Battleground from last Sunday. A solid show, but I wouldn’t say it was great.
The commentary team was Vic Joseph and Booker T as usual.
Kelani Jordan Celebrates Championship Win
The first NXT Women’s North American Champion Kelani Jordan made her entrance with the new championship after winning the Ladder Match at Battleground. She is a former gymnast who went to a 2022 tryout and in two years she has won her first title.
Jordan said that she has won many championships in gymnastics, but nothing compares to being the first NXT Women’s North American Champion. Jordan said that they were all beaten up in that Ladder Match, but when she climbed that ladder and grabbed the title, it’s a moment she’ll always remember. Jordan claimed that in this ring, nobody can do it like her.
Analysis: It was okay for a short promo. The fans were chanting “you deserve it” early on and Jordan kept on talking over them. It’s okay to soak in the chants before getting through the promo. She’s still so early in her career since it’s been less than two years since she signed with WWE, but she’s a very good performer considering her experience level.
Jaida Parker showed up for the interruption. Parker said that all Jordan proved was that she could climb a ladder like a squirrel. Parker said when she handles Michin, all you’ll be hearing is the new…and here comes Michin for a fight. Parker and Michin fought on the floor, so that led to a match.
Michin vs. Jaida Parker
It started out as a slugfest with the two women exchanging punches. Parker hit a body slam and Michin came back with an up kick. Michin connected with a German Suplex, but Parker avoided a cannonball. Parker took over after that with a butt drop to the ribs.
(Commercial)
Parker remained in control with double knees to the arm and a shoulder tackle. Michin hit a Tornado DDT off the ropes for two. It wasn’t smooth, but it was close enough. Parker came back with a running hip attack that knocked Michin out of the ring. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson went to ringside to support their buddy Michin. Parker grabbed a chair that wouldn’t be legal, so Gallows distracted the referee and Anderson took the chair away. Michin rolled up Parker and sat on top for the pinfall win after ten minutes.
Winner by pinfall: Michin
Analysis: **3/4 A solid match that got a good amount of time. I liked the intensity they showed from the start of the match. Michin winning a match like this is fine to set up for a title match against Jordan. I didn’t love the finish, but it protects Parker a bit since G&A got involved. I really like Parker as a character who is confident and knows her strengths. It’s a matter of time until Parker starts picking up big wins.
The Gallus boys attacked Wes Lee backstage at Battleground. That led to Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate saying they’ll team with Lee against Gallus.
Cody Rhodes, the Undisputed WWE Champion, was shown greeting fans earlier in the day.
(Commercial)
Chase U was in their “classroom” with Andre Chase, Duke Hudson, Riley Osborne and Ridge Holland exchanging words. Duke and Riley didn’t trust Ridge, who said they needed to stick together. Thea Hail walked in saying “shut the f**k up and sit down!” Chase: “Where’d she learn that from?” Hail yelled at the guys saying they needed to get on the same page because they are all Chase U. Hail said that’s not a teachable moment – that’s the truth.
Analysis: Good job by Thea with that speech. I assume the group will be more united moving forward.
Gallus – Wolfgang, Mark Coffey & Joe Coffey vs. Wes Lee, Tyler Bate & Pete Dunne
Dunne worked over Mark with submission moves while Booker showed a heavy bias toward the Gallus boys. Dunne worked over Mark with kicks, then Lee tagged in and Bate tagged in right after for some combo offense. Bate did an airplane spin on Mark leading to a slam. The babyfaces were alone in the ring as the show went to break.
(Commercial)
The Gallus boys were in control as Joe hit Bate with a backbreaker. Bate hit a clothesline, but Joe kept him from tagging out. Lee got the tag with kicks for everybody and a hurricanrana in there as well. Dunne did some finger snapping to Mark and Bate dove on the guys on the floor. Lee hit the Meteora on Joe for a two count. Great nearfall. Lee dove onto four guys on the floor. Lee missed an attack off the top and Joe hit his discus clothesline that Lee sold with a flip bump. Joe pinned Lee for the win after 10 minutes.
Winners by pinfall: Gallus – Wolfgang, Mark Coffey & Joe Coffey
Analysis: ***1/4 That was an entertaining match between six veterans who know how to put on a good tag team battle. It was a quality win for Gallus since they beat a main roster tag team with Wes Lee, so I like how Gallus was put over in a big way. It also gave Joe Coffey a big win after losing at Battleground.
Jaida Parker talked to her OTM teammates saying that if Gallows & Anderson didn’t come out there then she would have beat them. Parker was okay with being out there on her own. Parker said she’s going to handle it and run Michin’s ass out of NXT.
Brinley Reece was backstage talking to Edris Enofe and Malik Blade, who told Reece to be careful. Reece thinks that she’ll have a fun time facing Wendy Choo and said it will be a great match.
(Commercial)
A video aired about Sol Ruca’s experience competing at the NXT Battleground PLE in Las Vegas. Sol made some of her gear. Sol talked about how she was injured months earlier and at Battleground she was in a crazy Ladder Match. After the match, Sol said she couldn’t wait to get back out there and chase the titles on her way to the top.
Analysis: Sol Ruca is a rising star for sure. She can do things athletically that other women can’t and the more experience she has, the better she will be. That Sol Snatcher move she does is incredible.
Wendy Choo vs. Brinley Reece (w/Edris Enofe & Malik Blade)
Reece is the bubbly babyface personality that Choo used to be. Choo is back after missing nearly a year, but it’s a darker version of Choo in all black and she was not smiling. Choo tackled Reece followed by punches and an elbow drop. Choo no sold a punch and hit a headbutt. Choo hit a flatliner. Reece got some offense with two clotheslines and a body slam. Choo hooked the arms leading to a clothesline. Choo applied a submission like a Cobra Clutch with a body scissors and Reece tapped out to give Choo the submission win. It went about two minutes.
Winner by pinfall: Wendy Choo
Analysis: * An easy win for the new version of Wendy Choo. I like the tweak in Wendy Choo’s character. If she came back exactly the same it may not work that well, but presenting something different is a good idea.
They showed Oro Mensah attacking Ethan Page after Battleground for Mensah’s third attack on Page that day. Ava the GM banned Oro from the building this week.
Trick Williams, the NXT Champion, was shown walking backstage for a segment up next.
(Commercial)
Roxanne Perez, the NXT Women’s Champion, was interviewed outside by Byron Saxton. Perez bragged about how she was still the NXT Women’s Champion. Robert Stone aka Mr. Stone walked up saying that Ava was wondering what Perez would be talking about. Perez said that Ava can wait to hear what Perez had to say.
Cody Rhodes Visits NXT
Cody Rhodes made his entrance as the Undisputed WWE Champion. We saw Trick Williams walking before the break, but instead, it’s Cody Rhodes time. The crowd was singing the “Kingdom” song as you would expect. Vic mentioned it was nine years ago when Dusty Rhodes passed away. Vic said he could feel his father’s presence at NXT still to this day and Cody wanted to be a part of the NXT Universe. There were loud “Cody” chants before the champ said a word.
Cody: “It’s magical here, isn’t it?” Cody said that there is magic right here in NXT and perhaps he needed to be here today. Cody said he needed to feel the magic going into his Clash at the Castle match. Cody Rhodes talked about his Clash at the Castle opponent AJ Styles. Cody mentioned Styles being the IWGP Champion, NWA Champion, WWE Champion, PWI’s wrestler of the decade and so on. Cody mentioned AJ has accomplished a lot of things, he’s going to look Cody in the eyes and this Saturday at Clash, Styles is going to say “I Quit.” The fans said it with him.
Trick Williams, the NXT Champion, entered to a huge pop and told the fans to make some noise. Trick was in the ring with Cody. Trick said he was going to walk out there, but he saw Cody was ready so he let Cody go out there first. Trick said he feels like they have had similar journeys. Trick said they have both had mountains to climb and chips on their shoulders to get to where they are. Trick said everything feels different now that they are champions. Trick asked Cody how do you deal with all this?
Cody said that their peers are judging us thinking that they can wear those titles better than the current champion. Cody spoke about how even though they have conquered a certain mountain, there’s always another mountain you can conquer. Cody said that he has been granted the authority to let Trick know who is next challenger is going to be. Cody said that the next challenger will be decided on NXT next week in a 25-man over-the-top battle royal. Cody said you may know some of them, but some of them may be from different locker rooms. Cody wished Trick good luck.
Trick spoke about how Fourth of July was around the corner and asked Cody if he was coming to the Cookout? Cody said yes he is coming to the Cookout. Trick and Cody shook hands and hugged.
Analysis: It was a newsworthy appearance from Cody because we learned that there will be a 25-man battle royal next week to see who will challenge Trick Williams for the NXT Title. The bit Cody said about people coming from different locker rooms likely means people from Raw, Smackdown and even some TNA guys as well. I found it interesting that Cody teased having a match with Trick by saying that “there’s always another mountain you can conquer” but I don’t see WWE going with that match. I thought that they might put Cody in a tag match with Trick as a partner for later in the show. It could have kept the audience tuned in for the main event. However, it’s okay that they aren’t doing that.
A clip was shown of Je’Von Evans and Shawn Spears fighting around ringside last week to set up their match this week.
Dante Chen was interviewed backstage by Sarah Schreiber. Chen said that he would end his rivalry with Lexis King on his terms. That match is next.
(Commercial)
Wendy Choo was in the locker room with Carlee Bright and other women. Bright tried to talk to Choo, but Choo didn’t say anything while making a mean face. Bright didn’t know how to react as Choo left.
They showed WWE’s 2024 NIL class sitting at ringside.
Singapore Cane Match: Lexis King vs. Dante Chen
Chen is from Singapore, so using a cane is for him. Sometimes they call them a kendo stick. There were several Singapore canes in the ring and surrounding the ring. Chen hit King a bunch of times with the case, but King came back by throwing a cane and then King hit a superkick. King gave Chen a body slam onto a pile of canes. Chen tried a comeback, but King knocked him down with a cane and a hard cane shot to the back. King hit Chen several times in the back with a cane, so Chen’s back had red marks on it. Chen sent King ribs first into a cane. Chen got some revenge as he hit King about a dozen times with cane shots. Chen hit a boot to the face for two. Chen gave King a clothesline out of the ring followed by a suicide dive with a cane to the throat. King came back by using his scepter to hit Chen in the throat with it. King hit the Coronation on Chen for the pinfall win after about seven minutes.
Winner by pinfall: Lexis King
Analysis: *** It was a Singapore Cane Match, but the difference maker in the match was when King used a scepter (a different kind of cane) to hit Chen and that led to the pinfall win. Since Chen beat King twice, I expected King to get the win here rather than lose to Chen again.
Jacy Jayne & Jazmyn Nyx were backstage with Jayne wearing her black mask. Cody Rhodes arrived with a brown bag and gave Jayne a clear facemask. Nyx: “Dashing.” The ladies were happy about it.
Analysis: It was over a decade ago when Cody wore a clear facemask like that. It was the “Dashing” Cody Rhodes era, which is why Nyx said “Dashing” at the end. Well played.
A video aired about Eddy Thorpe making his return up next.
(Commercial)
They showed Michin, Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson were shown talking backstage outside of Ava’s office. Michin talked about how she is the number one contender for the NXT Women’s North American Title.
Vic Joseph and Booker T were shown at ringside when somebody grabbed Vic’s arm. It was likely Brooks Jensen to continue his story as a guy who has been acting crazy lately.
Tavion Heights vs. Eddy Thorpe
Heights is a powerful guy and was tossing around Thorpe easily. Heights did a gutwrench suplex for a two count. Thorpe made a comeback with strikes to the body along with a German Suplex. Thorpe hit an elbow drop followed by an Impaler DDT for the pinfall win. It went about four minutes.
Winner by pinfall: Eddy Thorpe
Analysis: *1/2 Easy win for Thorpe. Heights did get some offense and looks impressive doing power moves, but this was all about putting over Thorpe in his return match after being off for a few months.
The No Quarter Catch Crew was in the locker room. Charlie Dempsey told Myles Borne to go get Tavion Heights to possibly joining the group. Damon Kemp said he didn’t think they needed new members. Dempsey didn’t like Kemp questioning him. Borne left to get Heights.
Shawn Spears and Je’Von Evans were shown walking backstage separately for their match up next.
(Commercial)
They showed NXT GM Ava along with Mr. Stone in Ava’s office. Stevie Turner walked in claiming that Roxanne Perez will be calling out Ava for an apology later tonight. Ava said that was really helpful information, so she thanked Turner for the info. Ava got a phone call and the scene ended there.
Je’Von Evans vs. Shawn Spears
There’s a big difference in age here since Evans is 20 years old while Spears has been wrestling for over 20 years. I like the matchup since Spears is like a player-coach in NXT that can help the younger talent like Evans. I’ll go play-by-play for this one.
Spears attacked with punches followed by a Thesz Press along with more punches. Evans gave Spears a headscissors along with a hard chop. Spears sent Evans face first into the turnbuckle. Spears chopped Evans followed by some choking across the middle rope. Evans hit a kick to the chest along with a dropkick. Spears was on the floor, so Evans hit him with a running kick to the chest.
(Commercial)
The match returned with Spears in control with a half-crab submission until Evans got to the ropes. Spears chopped Evans a few times, so Evans came back with spin kick and Evans hit a spinning spinebuster of sorts. Evans connected with punches along with an impressive spinning kick to knock Spears down. Spears sent Evans to the apron where Spears delivered a superkick. Spears hit a draping DDT off the top rope for two. The fans chanted “this is awesome” for them. Evans got out of a move and got a rollup for two. Evans went up top and jumped off the top with a Cutter. That looks so amazing when he does that. Spears rolled out of the ring to avoid being pinned. Evans hit a suicide dive onto Spears on the floor. Evans jumped off the barricade with a flipping dive onto Spears on the floor. Evans clotheslined Spears out of the ring. Evans went for a springboard attack, Spears moved and Evans hit the corner of the commentary table. Back in the ring, Spears hit a C4 slam for the pinfall win after 10 minutes.
Winner by pinfall: Shawn Spears
Analysis: ***1/4 A good match with the veteran Spears picking up the big win. I can see them running this match back in the next couple of weeks and for Evans to pick up the win when that happens. It’s easy to like Evans as a prospect with a lot of potential. The story was that Evans went for that risky springboard attack, Spears avoided it and Spears capitalized to get the win.
Post match, Spears celebrated the win while Evans was bleeding from the mouth.
They showed Nathan Frazer & Axiom hanging out with Tyler Bate & Pete Dunne. Tony D’Angelo the Heritage Cup champion walked in with his Family. Tony suggested teaching them about the history of the Cup while the British guys didn’t seem interested in that. Tony and the crew left. Frazer told Axiom he missed that Cup while claiming he could do double duty.
Roxanne Perez was shown walking backstage for her promo up next.
(Commercial)
Cody Rhodes was shown walking backstage with the WWE Title. Shawn Spears walked up to him saying Cody won the battle royal and got the WWE Title. Spears said next week in the battle royal, he’ll get his. Ethan Page walked in wondering if Cody was going to wish him good luck. Lexis King walked in saying he would win the battle royal. Cody said: “It seems like you guys are in a good place.” Cody left to end it.
Analysis: All four guys were in AEW together, so it’s a bit of a wink and a nod to the fans who realized why they were all put on the show at the same time. I’m surprised the word “elite” wasn’t used during it.
Next week on NXT:
* Number one contender battle royal where the winner faces Trick Williams at Heatwave.
* Kelani Jordan defends the NXT Women’s North American Title vs. Michin.
Let’s Hear from Roxanne Perez for the “State of the Women’s Division Address”
The NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez bragged about how she was still the champion. Perez said that she still stands at the top of the best women’s division in wrestling today. Perez said she proved that there are levels to this and nobody is on her level. Perez said that you are all finding out what she has always known. Perez called out NXT GM Ava to thank her.
Ava the NXT GM walked out saying she had a feeling that this would happen. Ava congratulated Perez on her victory. Ava said that this was part of what it means to be a great champion. Perez said that Ava always finds a way to make it about herself. Perez said that whoever Ava puts in line for her, Perez is always going to find a way to win because there is not one woman who can take this title away from her.
There was an interruption from Jacy Jayne with Jazmyn Nyx. Jayne was wearing her face mask. Jayne said it felt like Perez lost her personality and lost her memory. Jayne said that she was one of the main reasons why people tuned into NXT every single week. Nyx reminded Perez that the biggest threats to her title are the ones under this roof.
Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson were next up for the interruptions. Lash said that Meta-Four has been making headlines and creating moments every single week. Jackson said that Lash was inches away from being NXT Women’s North American Champion. Jackson threatened Perez.
Lola Vice walked out saying you can’t talk about Battleground without talking about her Underground match. Vice said that these fists don’t lie. Vice said that you want what Perez has, but Vice is the only one that is on her level. Jackson told Vice to shake her ass to the back of the line. Vice kicked Jackson in the head after Perez moved. Jayne and Nyx clotheslined Lash out of the ring. Perez and Vice cleared the ring after that. Perez stood tall in the ring with her title and Vice was standing behind her staring at the title as well.
Analysis: This didn’t feel like a main event segment. It felt like the typical promo in WWE where people interrupt a champion to make the case for themselves to get a title shot. It seems like they are building up Lola Vice for a shot against Roxanne Perez and it wouldn’t shock me if Vice wins when she gets that title match. Perez did a solid job with her cocky heel promo while the interruptions were fine, albeit a bit rushed too. I think NXT needs some babyface women to emerge as future opponents for Perez. Vice has been a heel, so I’m not sure if she’ll be more of a face moving forward or what the plan is there. The segment was okay. It just didn’t feel like a hot ending to the show.
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Three Stars of the Show
- Shawn Spears/Je’Von Evans
- Gallus
- Cody Rhodes
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The Scoreboard
This week: 7 out of 10
Last week: 7
2024 Average: 7.04
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Final Thoughts on WWE NXT
A solid show overall that progressed stories well while also incorporating WWE Champion Cody Rhodes into the show. There’s a battle royal next week where the winner faces Trick Williams for the NXT Title, so that’s a big match to look forward. I think Cody’s appearance likely got people talking due to the backstage segment with former AEW guys.
There were some good matches. Nothing went too long, but a few matches got more time and had some smart finishes to the matches. I liked the Spears/Evans match a lot. Evans is going to be a massive star in WWE and working with a vet like Spears is nice to see. The Gallus six-man tag team win was really well done. Lexis King finally got a win over Dante Chen in a physical match with a lot of Singapore Cane usage.
I mentioned in the review that I didn’t think it was a strong main event segment. It was just Roxanne Perez bragging about NXT Women’s Champion while other women interrupted her. It wasn’t a great way to end the episode. I still liked the episode.
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John Canton
Email mrjohncanton@gmail.com
Twitter/X @johnreport