NXT put a lot of stock into the idea of its men’s locker room’s worthiness in relation to the opposite sex’s locker room. Don’t take my word for it, just think back to Grayson Waller’s first promo back in the territory he left many moons ago. I don’t often traverse the internets for opinions on wrestling but from the small number of things that enter my purview, that seems like the prevailing opinion, one of which I agree.
Heatwave didn’t do anything to beat back this narrative either. If anything, it reinforced it when Kelani Jordan and Kendal Grey not only saved the show, but raised the bar so high that the men barely bumped their heads against it when given the chance.
Kelani and Kendal started slow but started cooking once they got beyond feeling each other out. They effortlessly countered each other, kicked out at just the right moment during crucial near falls, and worked some psychology into the match for good measure. Kendal’s ear was an obvious target—one which Kelani hit—along with an ankle injury for Ms. Jordan. They were violent without being sadistic, graceful without sacrificing physicality, and smart. These two are intelligent wrestlers who know it has to look like a real fight while never forgetting to show their personalities. Kelani looked like an arrogant but focused competitor. Kendal never let the match take her out of being incredibly confident with tons of fire.
And I think that’s part of it: These two, like a lot of the women in NXT, have personality. They’re full-blown characters with quirks, flaws, speech patterns, and unique presentations. They feel special, and that shows when they get into the ring. NXT makes them appointment television outside of the ring, and they translate that to matches that deliver on that promise. These two captivated me and the crowd not just with breathtaking moves, but with a match that made sense. If I take umbrage with anything, it’s the PIP ads. I know, I know: NXT PLEs are on CW now, which means ads are a part of the game. But those ads, even when PIP, break up the flow of a match. They rob the wrestlers, too. Kelani and Kendal deserved unbridled and full attention, not interruptions on behalf of ZocDoc.
Contrast all of that with the men’s matches, including the main event. While Zilla Fatu, Tony D’Angelo, Cruz Montana, and Grayson Waller satisfied me, it wasn’t as filling as the that Women’s NXT Championship match. Like I said, a very high bar. But it hit me while conversing with the staff that the men really do get the create-a-wrestler treatment. Cruz Montana feels muted, Grayson Waller isn’t as controversial as he believes he is, and Tony D was better off as The Don. Seriously, that guy was interesting. Stereotypical and over the top at times? Absolutely. But he was interesting. Even Tony’s music now feels like the most basic thing that tells me nothing about him.
Zilla Fatu was the only main event guy with a spark, but he also didn’t walk away with the W. That honor went to Grayson, who did what he usually does in big spots: He waited until someone executed a big move, took out that person, then stole the pin. Cruz Spun the Block on Tony, Grayson snuck in to Stun Cruz, then pinned Tony for the title. Again, the match was fine, I just felt nothing because these guys are rarely given any personality beyond “I want a championship opportunity.” And in Grayson’s case, it was all about his entitlement for a title, along with his obnoxiousness. Sure, I guess.
But Kendal gets to literally eat cake, has a best friend, has a weird sense of humor, and feels like a fully fledged human. And the new champ, Kelani, spent years in the territory carving out who she is. While she’s done a lot of whining lately, like a ton of whining actually, now we get to see what happens when the dog catches the car. Will the moment be too big for her? Will she be a fighting champion? Will it reveal more insecurities? We’ve seen her go from heel to face, from locker room leader to pariah, from innocent kid to jaded adult.
Now she’s champion and putting on the standout matches of the night on one of NXT’s biggest nights of the year.
The women are more impressive because they seize the chance to do so while the men seem content with just existing.
- I started the night 0-1 on my predictions. Obviously that’s the only thing that really matters but since I suppose the wrestling counts for something, I should explain why I started in a hole: Zaria is the new unified North American Champion. I picked Kali Armstrong. Kali impressed from the jump. I love her physical style and energy. Everything hits hard, everything looks like it really hurts, and she can give as well as she takes. She’s visceral in the ring, and it helps when going against someone equally physical like Zaria. In fact, the match started with those two running their mouths at one another while ignoring the the Speed Champ. Wren Sinclair wasn’t an afterthought in the match as she asserted herself quickly, and factored heavily in the finish, but it’s stark contrast watching her style juxtaposed with her opponents. Wren mixed the physical with finesse, with a focus on the latter; Zaria and Kali had no time for anything pretty. But Wren’s style put her in control for quite a while. For a bit, it looked like she might win too until Zaria capped a sequence that included Spearing Kali and hitting her with an F-5. Dope opening match.
- That was in stark comparison to the submission match. I’m a fan of both women and appreciate the story here. Nattie tapping to a Sharpshooter is a fitting conclusion I love. But the actual match itself was slow, plodding, and never found a rhythm. Combine that with overbooking to get Karmen Petrovic and Nikkita Lyons off the board. The former when her AAA crew showed up and she decided to roll with them, while the Thea Hail took out the latter. The match didn’t work, despite it bringing the right end result. Jaida finally moves on, I just wish she got a more effective match in which to do so.
- I’m covering all of Vanity Project’s war with what’s left of the NQCC in one section. One story is Vanity Project walking away with all the gold. Thanks for proving my prediction powers wrong again, boys. They defeated the tag champs and took Myles Borne’s North American Championship. The first win came in part because Tavion Heights carried most of the match and kinda fought one on two while Myles nursed a bad back. But it was Myles who took the pin. The second victory came when Vanity Project, as a whole, proved too much for Myles & Tavion to handle. Tavion tried having his boy’s back but he was no match for Myka Lockwood hitting her incredible finisher on Myles outside the ring. That was it. It was over right there. Vanity Project used the numbers game to their advantage, which put the title on Jackson Drake’s waist.
- The bigger story is Myles turning his back on Tavion. Nice swerve on NXT’s part as the whole night seemed prime for Tavion turning on Myles. NXT telegraphed one thing but Myles delivered the final blow. Booker T, to his credit, foreshadowed that early. He talked about Myles’ friendship as his weakness. He railed against the man defending two titles against stiff competition all to keep his friend happy. I have no problem with them going that route for Myles if that’s his reasoning. It makes sense and shows another side of his character.
Heatwave was lukewarm. And that’s being polite. Kendal Grey and Kelani Jordan stole the show and basically saved it for me. I’d watch those two do that any day of the week and twice on Sundays. As an aside, NXT really needs to get its PLEs off CW. I get the business reasons behind it but it isn’t helping the presentation at all.
What say you, Cagesiders? Do the men ever stand a chance of catching up to the ladies? How do you feel about Grayson as the champ?
