It was an action-packed night for WWE's black and gold brand. This episode had a lot going on, and most of it was thoroughly enjoyable. Despite a couple of questionable booking decisions here and there, NXT continues to recover from its creative slump. If the brand continues to produce shows like this every week, it won't be long until it fully recaptures the energy of its glory days.
Winner: Toni Storm Vs Zoey Stark
A really solid opener in which Toni Storm got a much-needed win against impressive up-and-comer Zoey Stark and debuted a wild new finisher in the process. Storm got her win back from Stark, who beat her clean on the pre-show of NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver in April. Prior to tonight, Storm hadn't won a match via pinfall or submission since December of last year when her fellow Aussie Rhea Ripley did the honors before she moved to Raw.
Winner/Loser: Jake Atlas Beats Cameron Grimes
Prior to his match with former SoCal indie darling Jack Atlas, Grimes attempted to humiliate "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase by showing a video package comprised of clips in which DiBiase loses/is humiliated. They are laying it on way too thick with the Ted DiBiase stuff now. Much like Ted DiDiase, Cameron Grimes's gimmick is that he's a rich jerk. We get it. A single interaction between the two men would have been sufficient. DiBiase came out and distracted Grimes, which allowed Atlas to steal a win. Later in the night, it was revealed that Grimes and DiBiase would come to face-to-face next week. If you've ever seen any of his pre-WWE work, you'll know how talented Cameron Grimes is. Hopefully, he can start stringing some wins together soon. On the flip side, a TV win for Jake Atlas is never a bad thing.
Loser: Alexander Wolfe Is Ejected From Imperium
Wolfe lost to Killian Dain in a short match after Marcel Barthel attempted to goad him into using a steel chair on his opponent. The ref spotted the chair, and Dain took advantage of the confusion to pin Wolfe. After the match, Barthel and Fabian Eichner turned on Wolfe. Up until tonight, Imperium had seemed formidable, but they never really fulfilled their full potential as a four-man stable. Walter will obviously be fine, and it's likely that Aichner and Barthel will continue as a tag team. Sadly though, despite being a steady hand, Wolfe probably doesn't have much mileage as a singles competitor.
Winner: Legado Del Fantasma
Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza got a win over the team of Tomasso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher in a thrilling match. Mendoza got busted open early on, but showed no signs of anguish despite bleeding pretty heavily from the mouth. Eventually Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake and Zack Gibson) appeared on the ramp and attacked Ciampa and Thatcher before throwing them back in the ring. Wilde pins Ciampa to get the victory. A good match that was slightly hindered by an unclean finish. Still, throwing GYV into this angle creates some tantalizing potential matchups. Later in the night, NXT General Manager announced that Legado Del Fantasma would be taking on MSK for the NXT Tag Team Championship on June 1st.
Winner: Indi Hartwell
Dexter Lumis still loves her!
Winner/Loser: Sarray Beats Aliyah
The "petite and powerful" newcomer gets another convincing win, this time over NXT stalwart Aliyah. A short match, but one that perfectly displayed some of what the exciting Japanese wrestler is all about. Aliyah and her Robert Stone Brand colleagues are doing a good job with the material they've been given, but in the ring, they've been nothing but fodder for up-and-coming talent.
Winner: Hit Row
An incredibly impressive debut for the team of Top Dolla and Ashante Thee Adonis. Their Hit Row stable-mates Swerve Scott and B-Fab watched on from ringside as Dolla and Adonis made short work of Tony Nese and Ariya Daivari. At one point, Dolla carried both men and slammed them to the mat simultaneously. The chemistry between the four Hit Row members is off the charts, and the group has made a huge impact in just a few on-screen appearances. It seems inevitable that Swerve will be catapulted to the main event scene as a result.
Winner: Bronson Reed Beats Johnny Gargano For The North American Championship
The main event was a cage match between Australian big boy Bronson Reed and Johnny Gargano. Despite constant interference from Gargano's The Way teammate Austin Theory, Reed was able to pin Gargano after landing a splash from the top rope. A huge win for Reed, and one that he fully deserves in the wake of a string of impressive performances.
It's difficult to see where Gargano goes from here. He's accomplished everything there is to accomplish at NXT, but is unlikely to thrive on the main roster in its current state.
