WWE NXT Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from May 23

Just days before Battleground, WWE NXT promised an important night on its May 23 edition.

The NXT Women's Championship Tournament would determine its final two competitors, and top names would battle just days before big title matches.

Roxanne Perez hoped to reclaim the NXT Women's Championship by defeating Tiffany Stratton to reach the finals, while Cora Jade hoped to overcome Lyra Valkyria to capture her first taste of gold.

Eddy Thorpe faced the biggest challenge of his career to date, battling one of the top contenders to the NXT North American Championship, Tyler Bate. Wes Lee and Joe Gacy would be watching The Big Strong Boi closely.

Noam Dar wanted to make an example out of Nathan Frazer days before facing Dragon Lee for the Heritage Cup. Axiom planned to conquer NXT's mountain by challenging Dabba-Kato.

Tuesday's show had some work left to do in solidifying the card for Sunday's Battleground in Lowell, Massachusetts, including setting up some final hype for Carmelo Hayes vs. Bron Breakker.

NXT Women's Title Tournament: Cora Jade vs. Lyra Valkyria

Lyra Valkyria struggled to keep her nerves in check throughout this match, but she still managed to shock Cora Jade. She caught her with a surprise roundhouse kick to seal an upset victory.

Afterward, The Generation of Jade attacked The Valkyrie with her baseball bat, screaming that the NXT Women's Championship was her title.

Despite the hype, Jade vs. Valkyria could not even pass the five-minute mark before an awkward sudden finish. While it was a welcome shocker in a predictable tournament, the crowd was not ready for the finish when it came.

A couple of sloppy moments in the match showed two women rushing to make the most of unnecessarily limited minutes. It took away from the moment as Valkyria got the most important win of her career.

This victory cannot be taken away from The Valkyrie. She is now in the biggest spot of her career. The post-match attack on Jade may weaken her chances to win, but she has better odds to win the tournament leaving this show than she had coming in.

Result

Valkyria def. Jade by pinfall to advance in the NXT Women's Championship Tournament.

Grade

D

Notable Moments

• Valkyria tripped while attempting a springboard move, but Jade put herself in position to recover the situation quickly, taking a suplex from her opponent.
• Later, Valkyria told McKenzie Mitchell that she did not believe she tore anything in her leg and it was just bruised. She then declared she wanted Roxanne Perez in the finals.
  

Axiom vs. Dabba-Kato

Axiom tried to knock Dabba-Kato down to his size but ran into a two-handed chokebomb that sealed the loss.

Afterward, the big man tried to do more damage, but an unmasked Scrypts made the save and sent Kato to the floor.

NXT has established Axiom as one of the top names in the company. He was in a position to genuinely challenge the big man, but he got squashed in less than two minutes instead.

While the result makes sense to establish a new top giant, Axiom deserved a better showing. It looks as though Scrypts will be working with The Superhero after the short feud between them fell short.

Maybe they can build an interesting athletic tag team in a division that could use fresh faces.

Result

Dabba-Kato def. Axiom by pinfall.

Grade

D

Notable Moments

• Ilja Dragunov attacked Dijak on his way into the arena and nearly slammed him under the metal sliding door before officials intervened.
  
• The Czar explained later that he gave Dijak a taste of the pain Hard Justice had already inflicted upon him.
  

The Creeds and Gallus Start Battleground Fight Early

Gallus were not interested in fighting anyone for the NXT Tag Team Championships and mocked The Family and The Creed Brothers.

Julius and Brutus Creed arrived, starting a brawl. Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo arrived to even the odds.

This was a fine simple segment to build the NXT Tag Team Championships match for Battleground. It took until later for confirmation that Gallus vs. the Creeds was the plan for Battleground, not involving The Family at all.

After months of agreeing to any fight, Gallus played the cowardly heels in this segment, which was a marked downgrade. They should be willing to fight anyone rather than hoping to avoid challengers.

The Don has apparently been in lock-up for a full week since he was brought in for questioning without arrest. If the point is to build sympathy, it is an unusual tactic, given the police are only arresting him for his own illegal activities.

Grade

C+

Notable Moments

• NXT showed interrogation-room footage of a police officer questioning D'Angelo. He was later officially arrested and read his rights.
• Backstage, Stacks offered assistance to the Creeds at Battleground, but they refused due to trust issues.
  

Tyler Bate vs. Eddy Thorpe

Eddy Thorpe countered the Tyler Driver 98 and reverse clothesline, showing he had scouted Tyler Bate, but he could not stop the second attempts. He fell to the Tyler Driver 98.

Joe Gacy struck after the match, laid out both men and held up the NXT North American Championship.

Thorpe was able to keep up with Bate in the ring, which is a great sign for his future despite suffering a first loss. The match was solid enough, though neither man got to hit more than their signature offense before the finish.

NXT has done good work in protecting Thorpe, and it was always going to be dangerous to book his first loss. While he is not ready to beat Bate yet, his loss was made an afterthought, devaluing the entire purpose of the match.

The Triple Threat title match has a clear story, but if the plan is for either Bate or Gacy to dethrone Lee, it would be more impactful to set up a future singles bout for that moment.

Result

Bate def. Thorpe by pinfall.

Grade

C

Notable Moments

• Lee walked away from an interview when Bate arrived. The Big Strong Boi said he still considered the NXT North American champion a friend.
• The North American champion joined commentary and agreed Gacy was easier to trust than Bate because he was upfront about his intentions.
• Bate and Lee got into a shoving contest after Gacy walked away.
  

Noam Dar vs. Nathan Frazer

Noam Dar had an answer for Nathan Frazer's best offense, but Dragon Lee distracted him at the right moment. This set up the Englishman to hit a tope suicida into a Phoenix Splash to take the win.

This was first match to get actual time, and it was very good action, even if Dar is not connecting with the fans despite a frequent TV focus. The chemistry between these men was electric. The offensive sequences were among the best NXT has seen in recent months.

Frazer has the opposite problems to Dar. He effortlessly invested the crowd despite some wonky booking in recent months. Hopefully, this win is the first step toward a much deserved push.

Long term, NXT may have made the right call with this result, but it does not add any hype to Dar vs. Dragon, with the Heritage Cup champion losing his second match back on the brand.

Result

Frazer def. Dar by pinfall.

Grade

B

Notable Moments

• Frazer bounced off the ropes repeatedly, stopping and readjusting to avoid a counter from Dar before sending him to the floor with a running single-leg dropkick.
• Frazer used a springboard flip to set him up for a perfect reverse DDT.
  

Hank Walker vs. Tank Ledger

Hank Walker and Tank Ledger exchanged haymakers to open and close this quick battle of friends. The former closed it out with a lariat.

Afterward, Bron Breakker speared both men and told the champion that he would "see him Sunday."

These two made the most of their two minutes but could have really used a few more. They hit hard and looked like future destroyers, but it was never a battle of equals. Walker had the major experience edge.

Rushing a bout like this did not make sense. This could be an interesting matchup as a round of a future NXT Breakout Tournament, and maybe there will be more story to tell then.

Result

Walker def. Ledger by pinfall.

Grade

C

Notable Moments

• In a pre-taped interview, Breakker warned Carmelo Hayes that he was looking to punish The A Champion at Battleground.
• Melo enjoyed time in his hometown ahead of his match with Breakker.

Jacy Jayne and Gigi Dolin Agree to Weaponized Steel Cage Match Next Week

Jacy Jayne taunted Gigi Dolin from the crowd until the two agreed to a weaponized steel cage match for next week's show.

Segments like this reiterate that NXT is a developmental brand. Dolin and Jayne would never have gotten away with a sloppy back-and-forth like this with a packed Raw or SmackDown crowd in attendance.

Jayne's promo cadence was grating. Dolin called herself completely authentic but delivered her taunts without much enthusiasm.

NXT has put more behind this feud than it has earned. Hopefully, the steel cage match proves this was all worth it.

Grade

D

Notable Moments

• Both women argued over who was the "third wheel" in Toxic Attraction. That is about as close to a Mandy Rose reference as NXT will give.

Von Wagner (w/ Mr. Stone) vs. Luca Crusifino

Luca Crusifino goaded Von Wagner until the big men got disqualified. Despite Mr. Stone's insistence he calm down, Wagner powerbombed his opponent on the announce table, much to the crowd's delight.

This was the most interesting Wagner has ever been, and the crowd completely bought in. The big man had the perfect slimy foil to battle, setting up a feud that looks like it could last beyond Tuesday's show.

NXT may have finally found an avenue to draw out Wagner's charisma. He seems far more comfortable as the avenging babyface giant than the awkward heel destroyer.

Result

Crusifino def. Wagner by disqualification.

Grade

B-

Notable Moments

• Crusifino tried to sue Wagner by going to the county court, but it did not work. He promised to beat him in the NXT ring instead.
• Crusifino came out to a modified version of the "The People's Court" theme.
  
• The crowd was chanting "Von is going to kill you" and "Wagner" during this match. This is the first time he has ever gotten positive chants from the crowd.
  

NXT Women's Title Tournament: Roxanne Perez vs. Tiffany Stratton

Tiffany Stratton reversed the Pop Rox, sending Roxanne Perez throat-first into the top rope. The Center of the Universe followed up with the rolling fireman's carry and Prettiest Moonsault Ever to win.

This was easily the best match of the tournament so far. While getting much more time than the first semifinal helped, this was also a far better dynamic from the opening bell.

Stratton and Perez may have the best chemistry of any pairing in the women's division. The sequences were phenomenal while never looking contrived.

When the action slowed, the story kicked in, selling Perez as the wily veteran looking to overcome her disadvantage in size and athleticism with timely counters. It was the most complete women's match in NXT in years.

The Center of the Universe has earned her stripes as a top woman in NXT. She is likely to beat Lyra Valkyria, but hopefully both will get the time to make their case as the future of the women's division.

Result

Stratton def. Perez to advance in the NXT Women's Championship Tournament.

Grade

A+

Notable Moments

• Stratton caught Perez diving and transitioned into a rolling fireman's carry. The Prodigy ducked the follow-up moonsault and planted her rival with a Thesz press.
• The Center of the Universe hit The Prodigy with a picture-perfect spinebuster and then went to the top rope. Perez sent her back to the mat with a Frankensteiner.
• After the match, Stratton and Valkyria stared each other down. A masked attacker ambushed The Prodigy in the background.
  
• The show ended with Dijak and Ilja Dragunov brawling before signing the contract for their Last Man Standing match. This was followed by a Battleground hype video.
  

Overall Show

A better-than-expected main event and strong showing from Nathan Frazer and Noam Dar could not make up for a rushed night of action as a whole.

NXT was so focused on building forward to Battleground and beyond that almost nothing had time to breathe.

The opener should have gotten as much time as the main event, and Axiom and Eddy Thorpe should have received more spotlight in losses.

Even from a go-home show perspective, this edition was too unfocused. Dijak vs. Ilja Dragunov benefited from the chaotic vibe, but matches such as Wes Lee vs. Tyler Bate vs. Joe Gacy and Gallus vs. the Creeds could have used a stronger focus.

NXT has always taken a fast-paced approach, but the quality was lacking from the shortened performances of a talented roster.

Overall Grade: D+