WWE NXT 7/18/2023: 3 Things We Hated And 3 Things We Loved
Dolin vs. James aside, we were very into everything else happening in the "NXT" women's division this week, and yes, that includes the bizarre gymnastics montage performed by Dana Brooke and Kelani Jordan. It was so weird. We're not sure Brooke vs. Cora Jade in a kendo stick match or whatever is going to be a good watch on the next episode, but screw that anyway, give us more of these amazing gymnastics music videos. Gymnasts stick together!
On a more serious note, the segment involving Blair Davenport and Roxanne Perez was good for entirely different reasons. These interviews where the two feuding wrestlers are talking into a camera from different locations have become a staple of the Paul Levesque regime, and they don't usually work, but this one was incredibly effective. Davenport is an excellent promo, and we really like the fact that instead of both parties exchanging tough words and the segment just ending, Davenport actually got under Perez' skin so much that Perez had to walk away. That's some really great heel work, and what "NXT" is doing with the Perez character being insecure and anxious in the aftermath of her early success is very interesting. If their Great American Bash match is half as good as the build to it has been, we'll be talking about it for a while.
But of course, the crown jewel of the women's division continues to be Thea Hail, who the rest of Chase U continues to rally around in her efforts to defeat Tiffany Stratton and claim the women's championship. Hail had a short match with Elektra Lopez this week that was significantly better than Dolin vs. James, just because it did what it needed to do and took it home. The best part about Hail is the way she physically embodies her character at all times, especially while she's wrestling. She moves like she's barely in control, her limbs flailing around randomly, trailing in the air behind her on as simple a maneuver as an Irish Whip. She wrestles the exact same way her character walks and talks (or perhaps, more accurately, runs and screams) and in the process she becomes inherently likable. She's a living, breathing sympathy generation engine, someone you'd want to be friends with, someone you'd lay your life on the line for because you know she'd do the same for you. She physically inhabits her character at all times, which is really impressive considering her age.
Of course, Stratton is no slouch on the mic herself, and their showdown this week was highly enjoyable, with Stratton agreeing to give Hail a rematch, but refusing the submission match stipulation until she was literally forced into it by Hail's unstoppable Kimura Lock. Hail vs. Stratton is by far the match we're most looking forward to at Great American Bash, and it's mainly because we want to see Hail perform on a PPV stage. She probably won't win the title, but she'll be Thea Hail, and that's enough.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
