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Zoey Stark is back! The former NXT women's tag team champion was put on the shelf by Toxic Attraction and returned to take a new shot at the group. She is the new No. 1 contender for the NXT Women's Championship, held by Mandy Rose.
The July 26 edition of WWE NXT 2.0 opened with Stark speaking on her recovery and vision for her future.
The D'Angelo Family took a major shot at Diamond Mine, laying out The Creed Brothers while Roderick Strong and Damon Kemp fought. Tony D'Angelo gladly accepted an eight-man tag team match challenge to showcase his group's dominance.
Xyon Quinn has gladly ruined Apollo Crews' NXT return, costing him a match against Giovanni Vinci. Crews wanted revenge in a bout. Vinci would also compete on the night, facing Andre Chase.
Wes Lee looked to get his own revenge, fighting Grayson Waller while building momentum for a rematch against Trick Williams. Indi Hartwell hoped to turn around recent bad luck against Arianna Grace.
Tuesday's show had a chance to surprise many by highlighting much of the best talent in NXT 2.0 in and outside the ring.
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- Stark advised that she was given a timetable of longer than one year to return from surgery. She returned after eight months.
- She called out Jade for throwing away the NXT women's tag team championship, putting over how much that title meant to her.
- McKenzie Mitchell interviewed The Schism during which Joe Gacy promised he could be Cameron Grimes' new father figure.
Zoey Stark showed her appreciation to the fans for accepting her back after her injury.
Cora Jade interrupted on the stage followed by Toxic Attraction from the ramp. Stark challenged Mandy Rose to a title match, but instead Gigi Dolin agreed to fight her later.
Jade's involvement was unnecessary in this segment beyond keeping her on television. We may get Stark vs. Jade down the line, but the focus of the night was Stark calling out the women who injured her.
While Stark is not the most polished mic worker, she is passionate, which goes a long way. She told the story of her injury and road to recovery before explaining why she needed to dethrone the NXT women's champion. She sold the match for any time in the near future.
Grade
B
Notable Moments
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- Before walking out, Waller put himself over as better than Lee and everyone watching.
- Lee tried to turn around the action but jumped right onto the shoulders of Waller, who lifted him into an impact powerbomb.
- Waller knocked Lee clean off the top rope to the floor where Trick punched him in the back, nearly causing a count-out.
Grayson Waller dominated the action against Wes Lee. When Lee finally found his opening, Trick Williams cheap-shot him from the crowd, setting up Waller for a return rolling cutter that sealed the win for the loudmouth.
Beyond the cheap finish, this was a really good back-and-forth contest. Waller continues to show off a varied and smooth move set, while Lee has always performed at a high level. These two are professionals on a brand that desperately needs them.
Lee vs. Trick is not the most exciting feud, but it has helped solidify the latter as more than just a lackey to Carmelo Hayes. It could well be the first step in separating the two.
Waller picked up another win that could lead him to challenging for the NXT Championship.
Result
Waller def. Lee by pinfall.
Grade
B+
Notable Moments
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- Quinn planted Crews with a spinning fireman's carry slam and then went for his running forearm but took an enzuigiri that turned the momentum of the match.
- Wendy Choo woke up from a dream of her Battle Royal loss and promised to make Tiffany Stratton's life worse.
- Kiana James presented a PowerPoint presentation on Nikkita Lyons being the main problem in the NXT women's division.
Xyon Quinn tried to keep firm control of the match, but once Apollo Crews got a foothold, he never let up. He planted Quinn with a single-arm powerbomb for the win.
While this match got time, it wasn't overly exciting. Despite weeks of buildup, it never once felt like Quinn had a chance. The finish was flat, not landing hard enough to feel like a proper end to the contest.
Both men are talented, but their ability to tell a story in the ring was in question here. Crews has the experience and talent to do more, while Quinn has shown serious potential that NXT 2.0 is not all that interested in unlocking.
Result
Crews def. Quinn by pinfall.
Grade
D+
Notable Moments
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- It was announced that Rose would face Stark at NXT Heatwave on August 16. Sarray confronted the NXT women's champion, setting up a match between them next week.
- Perez announced alongside Alundra Blayze that she was relinquishing the NXT Women's Tag Team Championships, and a Fatal 4-Way next week would crown the new titleholders next week.
- Solo Sikoa challenged Von Wagner to a Falls Count Anywhere match for next week. Wagner gladly accepted despite Robert Stone's warning.
Gigi Dolin barely challenged Zoey Stark. Once the No. 1 contender got going, she planted Dolin with a belly-to-back GTS to win.
Afterward, Cora Jade attacked Stark, but Roxanne Perez returned to send her running.
Despite being out eight months, Stark looked smoother than ever in the ring. The action was short but tight, not wasting a second throughout this surprisingly one-sided affair.
It is a shame this was a complete squash, but the point was to push Stark. She came off as a true top name, wiping out a former tag team champion and rival in minutes.
Perez's return was somewhat anticlimactic. It came off unnecessarily rushed. However, this allowed NXT to quickly announce the future of the NXT Women's Tag Team Championships.
Result
Stark def. Dolin by pinfall.
Grade
C
Notable Moments
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- McDonagh threatened to break Vic Joseph's collarbone by applying pressure.
- Breakker busted McDonagh's lip with a headbutt, causing the challenger to laugh.
JD McDonagh appeared in the crowd where he gave health tips to the fans. He then greeted everyone at ringside. Finally, he called out Bron Breakker.
The NXT champion challenged McDonagh to a match at NXT Heatwave before headbutting him.
While McDonagh ended the segment sitting on the mat, this was a surprisingly smart segment. He showcased his intelligence by going over the many ways he can break a man with only limited force.
Even when Breakker knocked him down, he laughed in the face of the champion. The size difference between these two barely feels like a factor at this point, as the challenger has explained exactly how he will beat the bigger man.
Grade
B
Notable Moments
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- Before the match, Frazer found Chase U backstage and asked for the opportunity to represent them as flag bearer.
- Vinci dominated until he decided to break the Chase U flag over his shoulder, setting off Chase, who knocked him clean out of the ring.
- Chase planted Vinci with an atomic drop, spinebuster, a series of boots and a side slam that nearly won it.
- Vinci caught Chase jumping with a delayed vertical suplex then Chase responded with a double underhook powerbomb.
- NXT showed a comic book-style video package for Axiom, celebrating his first win.
Andre Chase made Giovanni Vinci pay for his cockiness, nearly taking the win at multiple moments.
Vinci finally put him away with a straitjacket powerbomb. Nathan Frazer stopped Vinci from attacking The Professor afterward.
This was the match of the night and came from an unlikely source. While Vinci is a great wrestler, he also had to bring out a different energy from Chase. This was worked like a main event and made the most of the time it got.
Vinci needed to win here, but he gave more than expected to The Professor. This was proof of the value both men bring to NXT and why they deserve a larger spotlight.
If any match on this show was helped by the new creative regime, it was this one.
Result
Vinci def. Chase by pinfall.
Grade
A
Notable Moments
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- Backstage, before the show, Grace questioned why Hartwell cheap-shot her in the Battle Royal and promised to get away from her negativity.
- Sanga talked up Valentina Feroz and Yulisa Leon for their tag title shot next week.
- Katana Chance and Kayden Carter got into an argument with Ivy Nile and Tatum Paxley, and Elektra Lopez got involved to fuel the fire, causing a brawl to break out.
- In pre-taped interviews, Lash Legend and Alba Fyre warned one another about what would happen when they fought again.
Arianna Grace tried to prove herself, but she had no idea how to take the win. Indi Hartwell knocked her out with a big boot to seal the victory instead.
This was a complete squash as expected. Grace is still learning, so there was not much action here that left an impact.
Hartwell got a valuable win. It was an inoffensive segment to hopefully push Indi Wrestling down the right path.
Result
Hartwell def. Grace by pinfall.
Grade
D
Notable Moments
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- Backstage, D'Angelo reminded his family that they needed to stay focused for the battle with Diamond Mine. Diamond Mine got along as they prepared for the match.
- Del Toro and Wilde wore attire matching D'Angelo and Stacks to show solidarity.
- The contest started slow, but a whole brawl broke out before long, ending with The Don retreating only to get a Brutus Bomb.
Tony D'Angelo made sure Cruz Del Toro, Joaquin Wilde and Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo isolated the least experienced member Damon Kemp. Finally, he got the hot tag to Julius Creed. He changed the momentum of the match.
Brutus Creed took a High-Low from Wilde and Del Toro, leaving Roderick Strong and Julius to fight the four. Strong accidentally kneed Julius in the face, allowing The Don to win with the Fuggedaboutit.
This was a surprisingly distraction-free clash of talent. The two stables battled to the most logical result. If anything, it felt too short. While The Family is growing more comfortable together, Diamond Mine is falling apart, so there was no reason to mess up that dynamic.
Julius looked good throughout and even before the match. He has been built up as the new leader of the group, which likely means Strong will fight him for control of Diamond Mine soon.
Result
The D'Angelo Family def. Diamond Mine by pinfall.
Grade
B
Notable Moments
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