This Sunday NXT hits the road again as they present Heatwave. This episode of NXT was the go-home show as there was a contract signing, a face-off, and a bunch of matches to get the NXT Universe excited for this weekend’s double premium live event weekend in Toronto. So, how did this week’s NXT episode do? Let’s review!
Street Fight: Jaida Parker vs Mia Yim: One of the things I liked was Mia Yim repping the black and gold era of NXT wearing the old-school NXT shirt and rag title for this match. This was a fun one. Early on Yim took a nasty dive on to three steel chairs as she went teeth first onto the chairs. There were tons of weapons used in this match, from chairs, a fire extinguisher, and nuts and bolts, just to name a few. The two went outside and went through one of the parts on the stage which the crowd went crazy for. Parker was able to get the win to kick off this episode of NXT.
Winner: Jaida Parker
Ariana Grace and Karmen Petrovic Promo: Grace is upset that Sol Ruca won the NXT North American Championship number one contender’s match last week and she won’t be going to Heatwave. Petrovic says she understands because she is also from Toronto and is upset that she is not on the card either. Jacy Jane and Jazmyn Nyx enter the fray as they laugh at Petrovic for not having any friends. Petrovic challenges Jane for a match as she and Nyx walk away laughing.
Je’Von Evans Promo: Evans says he is excited that this is his first Premium Live Event and he is in the main event. He feels the pressure of having his first big PLE title match and even jokes about never leaving the country before. He says he will do everything he can to ensure he returns to the States as the new NXT Champion.
Kelani Jordan Video Package: They showed a highlight package for Jordan including all of her gymnastics successes. She says that pressure comes with becoming the first NXT Women’s North American Championship and she is going to prove why that title is so important for NXT. She puts over Sol Ruca saying that she is a phenomenal athlete. However, this is her time and she will be walking out of Toronto the same way she walked into it, NXT Women’s North American Champion
New Catch Republic (Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne) vs Hank Walker and Tank Ledger: This match was not anything special. Looks like Bate and Dunne want a chance to go after the NXT Tag Team titles after this weekend’s show as they keep gaining momentum week after week.
Winners: New Catch Republic (Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne)
Shawn Spears Promo: Spears says that he came back to NXT to guide the future of wrestling and help the younger crop of talent. After all of the younger guys decided not to see his vision, he set out on a new path which is winning the NXT Champion. He says that he will return home to Toronto to win the title and finally prove that he should be the leader everyone is listening to.
Stevie Turner and Robert Stone Promo: Turner and Stone tell Oro Mensah that he will be in a match later on tonight against Myles Borne. The two begin to fight over who is going to give Mensah the bad news as Mensah yells at them and says just tell me. Turner says Stone does not have the balls to tell him that he is not going to Heatwave. He accepts that fate as the two continue to argue.
Brinley Reece vs Izzi Dame: Halfway through the match, Tatum Paxley appeared to watch from a better view as everyone was shocked to see her. As Dame got the win she slithered towards Dame and she ran out of there before she did anything spooky.
Winner: Izzi Dame
Chase U Class Session: Andre Chase says there has been a lot of history with the NXT Tag Team Champions in Toronto and this Sunday they will win the NXT Tag Team Championships. Duke Hudson then tells Chase that Ridge Holland helped them win the number one contender match and they did not win cleanly. Chase, who is shocked, says that Holland is not allowed to come with them this weekend and he must stay back.
NXT Women’s Championship Face-Off: Lola Vice calls out Roxanne Perez and says her days as champion are numbered. Perez says that this is a wrestling match this weekend and not a MMA match or an Underground match and she is going to make Vice wrestle. Vice says that she is tired of Perez saying she has made all of these sacrifices when she has made sacrifices of her own. She says that when her mom was pregnant with her she was supposed to go for her black belt in Taekwondo. When Vice was 18 her mom became sick when she was training for the Olympics and she transitioned into MMA to provide for her family. This weekend with her mom watching she is going to call her mom and tell her that she finally became a champion. Perez said that she did not know all of that, but everyone in the NXT locker room wants to make those same phone calls, while Perez is champion no one can beat her. Vice said that she wants to prove why she is the most successful person to cross over from MMA to WWE and she will be the first Cuban American woman to become NXT Women’s Champion.
Ethan Page Promo: Page says that he shocked the NXT Universe when he debuted and took out Noam Darr. When he wrestled Williams at Battleground he proved who the better man was as Williams retained by the skin of his teeth. He vows to get the job done this weekend as he wins the NXT Championship.
Myles Borne vs Oro Mensah:
Meta Four is suffering the absence of Noam Darr. All the momentum has stopped due to Darr not being within the group, and it showed in this match. Mensah got the win after Damon Kemp distracted Borne and cost him the win. The No Quarter Catch Crew is not happy with him after that one.
Winner: Oro Mensah
Wes Lee vs Oba Femi Video Package: They highlighted Lee’s amazing North American Championship reign as he said he broke his back defending the title and he will do anything to get it back. This is his last chance to win the title and he is not wasting that chance. Femi says that Lee is living in the past and he is only getting credited because he came before Femi. Femi says that so many people have tried to take the title away from him and no one has been able to stop him and Lee is no different.
OC Promo: Anderson and Gallows call out OCM for a match next week. They say that Parker may have won the street fight earlier on in the night, but the beef these two teams have is not even close to being settled.
Carlee Bright vs Wendy Choo: This was quick Choo got the win, and I hope that eventually, she is the one to take the title off of Jordan at Deadline later this year.
Winner: Carlee Bright
Trick Williams Promo: Williams says that this is his biggest test to date in his title reign, but it does not matter how is in the match this weekend, he will be walking out still champion
Shawn Michaels Promo: Michaels discusses the disturbances that have been taking place from Brooks Jenson. He says that when he split from his tag team partner he spiraled and he began to make a lot of bad decisions. He says he is not released from his NXT contract and he invites Jenson to NXT next week to have a conversation with Ava to discuss his future in NXT.
Jazmyn Nyx vs Karmen Petrovic: This was also a quick match. Jane got involved and that made Petrovic get distracted and Nyx got the win. I believe this will lead to a tag team match this weekend with Petrovic teaming up with Grace to take on Nyx and Jane.
Winner: Jazmyn Nyx
Axiom and Nathan Frazer Promo: Frazer keeps talking strategy, but it was for the WWE Speed Match and not their NXT Title match this weekend. Axiom was mad because he wanted him to focus on Sunday, but Frazer says he has to focus on what is in front of him and that is an opportunity to win the WWE Speed Championship.
Ava Raine Promo: I can predict the future. Petrovic goes into Raine’s office and says she wants to take on Nyx and Jane even if she has to go alone. Raine says that her friend came up to her and granted the tag team match. Petrovic being excited that it was Nattie slowly gets her bubble burst as Grace enters the frame and says that there is no better place for them to make their tag team debut than in their hometown of Toronto.
Sol Ruca Promo: Similar to the Jordan Promo package earlier in the night WWE highlighted Ruca’s gymnastics background as the adrenaline she had in acrobatics remains with her in WWE. She says she felt at home in the ladder match, but she lost to the better woman and this weekend she will not let that happen again as she vows to walk out the new NXT Women’s North American Champion.
NXT Championship Contract Signing: Williams says the whole crowd this weekend will be chanting whoop that Trick this weekend. Page says that this is the reason he liked Williams because he brings the electricity everywhere he goes and he is the hottest thing WWE has right now. He says that he should have won at Battleground, but Williams interrupts him and says he did not win and he got whooped. Page says that this Sunday’s match is different because he does not need to pin Williams to win the title Sunday as he can pin someone else and walk out as champion. Williams says that although his back is always against the wall that is not stopping him from winning the title this weekend. Spears says Williams loves the sound of his voice and he loves the emotion Williams gives. This is the emotion that will cost him the title this weekend and the reason he lost to Spears last week.
Spears breaks down all of the competitors as Je’von interrupts him because he does not like being called the 20-year-old kid. Spears said Evans reminds him of the team that makes the championship team, but is just happy for the experience and does not have a chance to win the game. Evans says he doesn’t like when people use his age against him, but his fans are excited to see this match this weekend. When he walks into the show this weekend people are going to know his name. He says speaking of experience he asks Spears how much experience he has winning the NXT Championship which is none. Evans says he will show Spears this weekend what being an NXT Champion will look like. Page and Spears say that they have beaten Evans and they do not think Williams can get the job done against Evans. Williams says he is proud of Evans, but he will not be able to take the NXT title away from him this weekend. They argue about the odds flaunting that they do not have to pin Williams to win the title as Spears pushes Evans and a brawl starts to end NXT. Page and Spears are put through a table as Evans and Williams have a staredown with the NXT Title.
Overall: I understand this is a go-home show, but there were way too many promos on this week’s episode. There were more promos than matches. It takes away from the weekly product and makes the episode drag on instead of flying by. The women’s face-off segment also fell flat because the crowd was not invested at all. Until next week.
NXT 7/2/24 is streaming now on Peacock
