WWE NXT Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights From Jan. 23

Roxanne Perez is the new No. 1 contender to the NXT Women's Championship. This was the final image from last week's WWE NXT, making the January 23 edition a fallout show.

The Prodigy and Lyra Valkyria met in a contract signing to make their Vengeance Day clash on Feb. 4 official.

Bron Breakker and Baron Corbin challenged Nathan Frazer and Axiom to establish the first finalist in the men's Dusty Classic. Could the two former champions continue to find common ground and defeat one of the fastest duos in NXT?

Blair Davenport looked to make Karmen Petrovic pay for eliminating her from the No. 1 Contender Battle Royal last week. Dijak also hoped to make Joe Gacy pay for getting involved in his bout with Trey Bearhill.

Bearhill hoped to get his own big victory in NXT by challenging the thorn in his side, Lexis King. Dragon Lee hoped to pick up some momentum by defeating Scrypts.

While this week's NXT did not promise the biggest matches, it did continue to build the foundation for Vengeance Day.

Dusty Classic: Bron Breakker and Baron Corbin vs. Nathan Frazer and Axiom

Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker looked closer than ever as they wrestled as a tight-knit unit. They needed to be destroyers to take down Nathan Frazer and Axiom. They did just that, finishing with a Breakker Spear to Frazer.

NXT may have peaked early with a phenomenal opener. The styles of these four men blended perfectly. The babyfaces fought from underneath, finding the smallest avenues for success against overwhelming force.

The crowd went wild for this match, especially late on when Axiom kicked out of multiple repeat big moves from the heels. While it never quite felt like the underdogs could win, they delivered a strong performance against top competition.

Breakker and Corbin are meshing well as a tag team. While their buildup has been rushed for the Dusty Classic, NXT may have struck gold in pairing these two together. They make each other more interesting and will likely win the tournament.

Result

Breakker and Corbin def. Frazer and Axiom by pinfall to advance in the men's Dusty Classic.

Grade

A-

Notable Moments

• Corbin came out with the wolf head that Breakker famously wore at No Mercy for his match against Corbin.
• The former Lone Wolf planted Axiom with a brainbuster for a near-fall. Corbin threw Axiom into the hands of Breakker for a powerslam and another near-fall.
  

Lash Legend vs. Wren Sinclair

Wren Sinclair ducked the power moves of Lash Legend and tried to take a roll-up win. However, Legend was too much for her, planting her with the Slam Dunk.

Afterward, Fallon Henley ran out to save Sinclair from a Meta-Four beat-down.

This was a basic squash match. Sinclair barely got in any offense beyond attempting some roll-ups and never looked like a serious challenge for Legend. But that was the point.

NXT is building up the threat of Legend as a solo act while Sinclair is starting from the bottom as the newest star on the brand. She has a leg up on others due to her independent wrestling experience, but she will need time to sell her WWE character.

Henley has been on a major upswing in NXT, but putting her together with Sinclair might hold her back. She is going to be getting over another budding star when she should be a top contender to the NXT Women's Championship.

Result

Legend def. Sinclair by pinfall.

Grade

C

Notable Moments

• Before the match, Henley wished Sinclair luck for her NXT singles debut.
• William Regal returned to NXT to speak with Shawn Michaels and then confirmed Ava as the youngest general manager in WWE history.
  

Dijak vs. Joe Gacy

Joe Gacy attacked Dijak during his entrance, and they brawled around the arena.

Dijak sent Gacy through the stage then the announce table. Gacy kept getting back up until officials broke them up.

Two talented wrestlers and over-the-top personalities have finally clashed. This was an appropriate result, and it's already getting wild. Hard Justice has worked so many hardcore matches recently, so his next feud needed to be even bigger to stand out.

Gacy looked great here as the resilient fighter who just kept coming. He is the babyface but was the aggressor throughout, and it generally worked.

To live up to this start, the first match between Dijak and Gacy is going to need to have a wild stipulation.

Result

Dijak vs. Gacy never began.

Grade

B

Notable Moments

• Mr. Stone brought his kids as he coached up Von Wagner in his old stomping ground, the FBC Mortgage Stadium, in preparation for Noam Dar.
  

Lexis King vs. Trey Bearhill

Trey Bearhill walked in emotional and left heartbroken, falling decisively to Lexis King's Coronation.

This was hardly even a match as King completely ran through his rival. After all the buildup that sold Bearhill as a threat, he was punked out clean.

This could mean King is going to get some momentum, but NXT needs to give him a rival who can challenge him without giving him another loss.

The best immediate answer would be a transition to feuding with Eddy Thorpe, given Bearhill's growing friendship with him.

Result

King def. Bearhill by pinfall.

Grade

D

Notable Moments

• King cut a pre-match promo on his way to the ring, calling this the true main event.
• King tried to flirt with Thea Hail and Jacy Jayne until Riley Osborne sent him off. Osborne then asked to speak with Hail one-on-one.
  

Elektra Lopez Interrupts Supernova Sessions to Attack Lola Vice

Noam Dar and Oro Mensah hosted Supernova Sessions and asked Lola Vice if she regretted turning on Elektra Lopez. La Madrina arrived to announce a match between the two next week before brawling with her former friend.

This was another case of testing the waters with a developing talent. Vice did not thrive in the spotlight, but she is finding her confidence. Lopez is more seasoned as a talker, which helped elevate the rivalry.

Turning Vice and Lopez against each other made sense for the right moment, but this has been rushed. The two never truly established themselves as a tag team.

This at least distracted Vice from interfering in Lyra Valkyria's business for the moment. Maybe Lopez will be the one to help unlock Vice's full potential. More likely this will be a short rivalry that solidifies Vice as the most important of the two.

Grade

D+

Notable Moments

• Lopez made a mess backstage, demanding someone tell her where Vice is.
• Before focusing on Vice, Dar made fun of Von Wagner again.
• Debtors came calling for Chase U, taking everything including the desks, podium and Duke Hudson's MVP trophy.
  

Dragon Lee vs. Scrypts (w/ OTM)

Tony D'Angelo, Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo and Adrianna Rizzo came out to brawl with Lucien Price, Bronco Nima and Jaida Parker.

The distraction allowed Dragon Lee to hit Destination Dragon for the win.

Oba Femi watched from ringside and agreed to face Dragon at Vengeance Day.

A match between Dragon and Scrypts should have been more high-energy, and it did have moments of greatness. For the most part, though, it was just OK.

The action outside was unnecessary as the luchador should have been able to win clean. Instead, his victory was overshadowed by stable warfare and a flat distraction.

Still, the goal is in view. Dragon vs. Femi is going to be a good one at Vengeance Day.

Result

Dragon def. Scrypts by pinfall.

Grade

C-

Notable Moments

• OTM destroyed the restaurant of The Family, including Parker laying out Rizzo. D'Angelo, Stacks and Rizzo warned that they would get revenge.
• Edris Enofé and Malik Blade moped backstage until Brinley Reece convinced them to think about the positives and learn from their loss.
  

Blair Davenport vs. Karmen Petrovic

Karmen Petrovic showed a scrappy fire against Blair Davenport, but once the Iron Survivor caught her, it was a quick finish thanks to a short-arm knee strike.

Davenport should be presented as a dominant force in the women's division, but Petrovic instead was the aggressor through much of this short encounter. As a squash, this made the heel look weak and showed Petrovic's inexperience.

NXT is investing significant time into Petrovic, and she hasn't proved worthy of it yet. She does not have the necessary fluidity to make her striking-focused offense shine.

This is another step to the side for Davenport, who seems lost after her Iron Survivor victory was dismissed following a New Year's Evil loss. Hopefully, there are more plans for her rivalry with Nikkita Lyons soon.

Result

Davenport def. Petrovic by pinfall.

Grade

D

Notable Moments

• Davenport made an impression on Petrovic's back with a snappy diving double foot stomp.
• Petrovic hit her finishing sequence of moves but missed the final spin kick. When Davenport caught her leg, she hit a snap kick for a near-fall.
  

Trick Williams vs. Josh Briggs

Ilja Dragunov watched this closely from ringside. Josh Briggs accidentally blasted The Mad Dragon with a big boot. Trick Williams hit Briggs with a discus boot and then rolled him up in the ring to win.

Dragunov tried to attack Briggs before the end of the match, but Carmelo Hayes knocked him down.

Afterward, Briggs blasted Trick with a clothesline. Officials barely held The Mad Dragon back from attacking everyone involved.

Briggs has shown time and again that he is a good big-man wrestler, and he drove the pace of this match throughout. It was a good sprint, even if the aftermath mattered most.

The chaos in the main event scene is fascinating. There are multiple moving pieces, and NXT has a big swerve planned when the time is right. It will likely involve Hayes turning on his friend, but he could find some new pals like Briggs at his side.

Whatever happens, Trick is such a hot star at the moment that everything matters. Even with the odd Ridge Holland detour recently, this angle is NXT's most important.

Result

Trick def. Briggs by pinfall.

Grade

B

Notable Moments

• Briggs challenged Dragunov, but Trick intervened to prevent The Mad Dragon from getting hurt. Hayes questioned why Trick was getting involved in Dragunov's business.
• Trick and Melo argued backstage afterward about Dragunov's intentions.
• Holland promised to fight all of Gallus without help.
  

Tatum Paxley Ruins Lyra Valkyria-Roxanne Perez Contract Signing

New NXT general manager Ava facilitated the contract signing between Lyra Valkyria and Roxanne Perez. She kept things civil after the two competitors almost got heated, and the two signed the paperwork and shook hands.

Afterward, Tatum Paxley sent The Prodigy through the announce table. Valkyria knocked down and chastised Paxley for her actions.

The content of this contract signing was solid, though the execution was mixed. Perez and Valkyria are still not fully confident as talkers. Both stumbled over their words in moments. Ava also has some way to go to sell herself as an authority figure.

What matters most, though, is that the match is set and the story is clear. NXT has fully committed to these two as the top women in the company. They have the talent to prove it together in a first-time clash that could steal the show at Vengeance Day.

Paxley's involvement adds an interesting wrinkle as she continues to give Valkyria a heel edge that she is not asking for. She could be the difference come Feb. 4.

Grade

B-

Notable Moments

• Valkyria called out that she debuted the day Perez won the NXT Women's Championship and said she had "replaced" her.
• The Prodigy warned The Valkyrie that the crowd would turn on her if she failed as they did to Perez after her title loss.
  

Overall Show

After a high-energy show last week, NXT brought less pace to this night. Most of the matches were squashes, barely tallying four minutes on average.

Bron Breakker and Baron Corbin vs. Nathan Frazer and Axiom set a high bar that was never met at any point for the rest of the night. The impromptu main event of Trick Williams vs. Josh Briggs was good but likely to be forgotten beyond the aftermath.

The show did continue to establish the foundations for Vengeance Day as NXT announced Dragon Lee vs. Oba Femi and The Family vs. OTM. This leaves the card mostly confirmed beyond the Dusty Classic final participants.

Even the smaller matches built to more important clashes on future weeks, such as Dijak vs. Joe Gacy, and Lola Vice and Elektra Lopez.

This is all to say it was a productive NXT if not an entertaining one for much of its run time. The future is much brighter for the gold brand, though, as Vengeance Day looks like a night of great action.

Overall Grade: D+