WWE NXT is still reeling from an incredible Heatwave, promising big matches and moments to come on the July 16 edition.

Duke Hudson faced the biggest challenge of his next career, literally, as he would challenge North American champion Oba Femi.

Wes Lee finally had his friends by his side in NXT as The Rascalz would team together to battle Gallus.

Roxanne Perez would address her future. So many women in the gold brand could step up to The Prodigy next, but who was ready to stop the dominant NXT women's champion?

Joe Hendry made a statement last week by defeating "All Ego" Ethan Page and Shawn Spears alongside Trick Williams. What would be the next step in this complicated NXT Championship scene?

The O.C. and OTM hoped to finally settle their differences in six-person action. Izzi Dame hoped to put Tatum Paxley behind in one-on-one action.

This was an important night for NXT that could see major surprises.

The Rascalz vs. Gallus

The Rascalz worked at another level to Gallus in a showcase of their chemistry that ended with Mark Coffey taking a diving double foot stomp from Wes Lee for the loss.

This was a fun tag team match that reached a higher level in the final minutes as The Rascalz rolled together as an well-oiled machine.

Zachary Wentz and Trey Miguel have impressive chemistry as a team due to their recent work in TNA, but Lee found his own rhythm as the most accomplished man of the three by NXT standards.

Gallus played the foil role well, always in place for key spots without slowing the action too much for heat. It was one of the best showcases of what Joe Coffey, Wolfgang and Mark can do.

Result

Rascalz def. Gallus by pinfall.

Grade

A-

Notable Moments

• As Gallus headed to the ring, the group ran down everyone coming over from TNA, promising to make an example out of the Rascalz.
  
• It was very good to see The Rascalz coming out together in matching gear. It was awkward for all six men to work in green and black though.
• Despite Booker T telling him not to, Vic Joseph said "Joe Hendry", and he appeared, joining commentary.
• After a major hot tag, Wentz went on a tear, sending Gallus reeling before tagging in Miguel to help him. Finally, Lee got the tag, and the three took the ring and never gave it back.
  
• Booker tried to sell that Gallus were the more established trio in this match, but both teams started in 2018 with The Rascalz earlier in the same year.
• Hendry (awkwardly likely due to timing issues) transitioned into a video package that he narrated on his last week appearance.
• Gallus complained about Hendry, who appeared again to tell the group that they all needed to believe more.
  

Thea Hail Steps Up to Roxanne Perez

Roxanne Perez promised to break the record books, eclipsing Charlotte Flair, Bayley and more. She then turned her focus to Thea Hail, who would face her at Great American Bash.

The Chase U student confronted The Prodigy. When Perez called Hail a little girl, a fight broke out that ended with Hail locking The Prodigy in a Kimura. Ridge Holland and officials stopped the fight for now.

While Perez still needs work on the mic, this was one of her best efforts so far, mocking Hail with confidence. She seemed much more comfortable working with Hail than she did at any point in her rivalry with Lola Vice.

While all the talk recently in the women's division is focused on the upcoming arrivals of Giulia and Stephanie Vaquer, who will absolutely raise the game of the division, Hail is a great foil all her own for Perez.

It is a shame NXT has not built her up well in recent months, making the result of the upcoming title match obvious. However, it should be a surprise hit with the technical struggle at the end of this segment was anything to go by.

Grade

B+

Notable Moments

• After Hail went running off to confront Roxanne Perez, Andre Chase and Riley Osborne put over Duke Hudson's chances against Oba Femi.
• Perez openly mocked the internet rumors of Giulia and Vaquer coming for her NXT Women's Championship.
• Kelani Jordan also mentioned Giulia and Vaquer when she was interviewed about next challengers for her Women's North American Championship.
  

Je'Von Evans vs. Brooks Jensen (w/ Josh Briggs)

After an impressive stretch of offense, Brooks Jensen got distracted by Josh Briggs confronting Shawn Spears at ringside, allowing Je'Von Evans to dive onto him. The Young OG followed up with a springboard cutter for the victory.

Afterward, Jensen stomped Evans into the mat until Briggs pulled him away.

This Jensen evolution is an important opportunity for him to show what he can do. His in-ring work with Evans was a good sign. This was as good as he has looked in singles action to date.

The storytelling has been inconsistent early, especially with Briggs suddenly a babyface again after teasing a heel run around WrestleMania season. Still, there is potential if NXT has a clear plan going forward.

The tease of Jensen aligning himself with Spears is an intriguing possibility that might legitimize The Chairman's push to build a following.

The Young OG picked up a win and hopefully is not too far from the title pictures in NXT after a brief detour. He has unfinished business with many top names and the talent to make the most of the opportunity.

Result

Evans def. Jensen by pinfall.

Grade

B

Notable Moments

• Jensen told Briggs that he did not need him, but Briggs said he was there to stop his friend from doing something stupid.
• Briggs will soon be away from NXT to work the N-1 Victory tournament in NOAH alongside Tavion Heights in August. This leaves limited time to write him out of this story with Jensen.

NXT Championship: "All Ego" Ethan Page (c) vs. Dante Chen

"All Ego" Ethan Page walked into this match confident, only to find a game Dante Chen challenging him from the opening bell. Page finally got serious and wiped him out with Ego's Edge.

Oro Mensah struck after the finish, taking a DDT from Page and coming back with pure aggression. He laid out Page with a spinning heel kick and got a symbolic three count in the ring.

This was a better showcase for Chen than any match in his series with Lexis King. While he relied heavily on roll-ups to sell near-falls, Chen was moving, and the champion was very giving.

In only four minutes, Page did what he could to sell Chen as more than his immediate standing. He followed by making Mensah look great as well, setting up his first challengers as men that have never officially held NXT gold.

This shows how valuable it can be to have Page as NXT champion. He may not deliver in-ring classics like Ilja Dragunov or Carmelo Hayes, but he can tell stories with anyone.

Result

Page def. Chen by pinfall to retain the NXT Championship.

Grade

B

Notable Moments

• Page confronted Ava about Mensah, who arrived to ask for an NXT Championship match. Instead, All Ego announced he would defend his title against Dante Chen, selling it as an easier challenge.
• Chen promised to make the most of his opportunity before heading to the ring. An inside cradle and backslide almost took it later.
  
• The challenger nearly stole the win from Page by stacking up Page early when he was distracted with taunts.
• All Ego mockingly shook hands with his unconscious challenger after the win.
• Page tried to leave but needed to remind an interviewer first that he was not officially pinned by Mensah.
  
• Trick Williams asked Ilja Dragunov and Pete Dunne for advice on what to do after losing the NXT Championship. Both told him he needed to find his own answer.
  

Izzi Dame vs. Tatum Paxley

Wendy Choo arrived to watch this match closely. Izzi Dame was rolling until Tatum Paxley targeted the taped-up right arm and connected with the Psycho Trap.

Afterward, Choo gave Paxley her doll back and smiled.

NXT is slowly building a pecking order in the women's division, and it is a surprise to see that Paxley is a higher priority to Dame. However, both are talented and are going to thrive with more opportunities.

This match deserved a couple more minutes at least, but the action was solid for what it was. Paxley pulled out some impressive audience but did not always hit it clean.

The tease of her working with Choo is intriguing as that could be an angle that better established Paxley's own character in NXT after months of wishy-washy teases.

Result

Paxley def. Dame by pinfall.

Grade

C+

Notable Moments

• Paxley interrupted Dame's entrance, sliding between her legs to start the action fast.
• Kelani Jordan ran into Paxley backstage, who told her that they were both too old to play with dolls. Paxley pulled out a new doll to symbolize Jordan as her next target.
  
• Charlie Dempsey asked Tony D'Angelo got help with dealing with a "witness", but The Don told him he needed to deal with it himself. Later, the witness, Wren Sinclair, asked to join No Quarter Catch Crew.
  
• Cedric Alexander tried to get Ashante Thee Adonis focused, but he was more focused on Jakara Jackson. Meta-Four shut him down for the moment.
  

Lola Vice vs. Jacy Jayne (w/ Jazmyn Nyx)

Jacy Jayne saw an opportunity to targeted the bandaged right wrist of Lola Vice early in this fight, but Lola Vice only need one spinning back fist to win.

Afterward, Fallon Henley and Jazmyn Nyx attacked Vice. Sol Ruca and Karmen Petrovic made the save.

If the goal is to put over anyone in this trio of Jayne, Henley and Nyx, nothing is working so far. None of them can win a match, and Jayne was squashed in less-than-three minutes by Vice.

Jayne is certainly not at the level to truly challenge Vice at this moment, but that only brings up the question of why this match happened at all.

Ruca, Petrovic and Vice is an odd pairing of NXT "rookies" that may simply be too high priority to take a loss to the heel trio that cannot buy a win but need a streak.

The only thing that the group has at this moment is Henley's credibility, especially holding a pinfall victory over Kelani Jordan, but that could quickly disappear with his current story.

Result

Vice def. Jayne by pinfall.

Grade

D

Notable Moments

• In an interview, Vice promised to get another shot at the NXT Women's Championship. Jayne, Henley and Nyx mocked her, setting up a match.
  

The O.C. vs. OTM

Bronco Nima and Lucien Price found an opportunity to control the pace by dominating Luke Gallows. Michin shifted the momentum after Eat Defeat to Nima, followed by a Magic Killer from Gallows and Karl Anderson to win.

It seems counter-productive for The O.C. to pick up a win at this moment after both Parker and OTM gained so much momentum from defeating the veterans.

Playing too safe with results can turn even the hottest feuds cold. There is no real end in sight for this rivalry, but OTM needs to get the win back to push toward title opportunities.

A final six-person stipulation match at Great American Bash would be smart, though everyone involved needs to work more urgent than they did in this fine forgettable battle.

Result

The O.C. def. OTM by pinfall.

Grade

C-

Notable Moments

• Michin got the hot tag and went to war against Parker all over again, planting her with a pele kick.
• Price had to save Nima from a pinfall after an elevated neckbreaker from The O.C.
  

North American Championship: Oba Femi (c) vs. Duke Hudson

Obe Femi walked in confident, but Duke Hudson made him desperate. The North American champion planted him on the announce table outside followed by a pop-up powerbomb to win.

While a short build to this title opportunity made a title change seems impossible, Duke Hudson worked hard to sell that he was a true challenge to Oba Femi.

This was an excellent main event battle. While it was not quite on the level of the in-ring work from Heatwave, as a TV main event in the Performance Center, it does not get much more exciting than this battle of big men.

NXT needs to give Chase U something sooner than later given the group's collective output in recent months. Femi should not lose the North American Championship though as he gets better with each defense.

Hudson especially is at that level where he might as well go to the main roster if NXT is not going to crown him soon. He has gotten to that level.

Result

Femi def. Hudson by pinfall to retain the North American Championship.

Grade

A

Notable Moments

• NXT presented a vignette highlighting Hudson's NXT career trajectory to this title opportunity.
• Hudson caught Femi with a running knee strike then a series of Chase U punches. The champion rolled outside, but The MVP planted him with a crossbody to the floor.
• The MVP nearly got the win with with a crufiix pin. Femi answered with an elevated chokeslam, but Hudson kicked out.
• Femi got desperate and went to the top rope. Hudson answered with a sunset flip powerbomb for another near-fall.

• The show oddly ended with Brooks Jensen challenging Josh Briggs to a No Disqualification match for next week, teasing a big reveal with several arguments going on in the background that never came.

Overall Show

NXT rebounding from a down week with a much tighter episode that started to build momentum forward again.

It helped to start with the hot angle of NXT's partnership with TNA, but the night largely benefited from clearer angles and in-ring work from the NXT talent.

The Rascalz looked phenomenal together. Duke Hudson pulled out his absolute best for the main event. Je'Von Evans and Ethan Page used their main event stock to elevate the talent around them in solid matches.

The card for Great American Bash is coming together nicely, highlighted by Roxanne Perez facing a game Thea Hail.

While the show waned a bit down the stretch with shorter matches with questionable results, the ultimate takeaway was that NXT has a wealth of talent and stories to rely upon for a wild summer.

Overall Grade: B+