WWE NXT Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights From June 17
Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage of WWE NXT on June 17.
Here's a look at what WWE advertised for Tuesday's show:
—Blake Monroe signs her NXT contract.
—Jordynne Grace vs. Lola Vice
—Thea Hail vs. Jaida Parker
—Kelani Jordan vs. Lash Legend
—Zaria vs. Izzi Dame
—Trick Williams, AJ Francis and KC Navarro vs. Elijah, Josh Briggs and Yoshiki Inamura
Let's take a look at everything that happened on this week's episode of NXT.
Jaida Parker vs. Thea Hail
1 of 7
As Parker made her way to the ring for the opening Evolution Eliminator, Hail attacked her from behind.
However, Parker turned the tables on her and rolled her into the ring so the referee could call for the bell.
Despite Hail's intensity, she was giving up a lot of size and power to her opponent. She used her quickness and agility effectively to keep the fight even, but whenever Parker was in control, she felt more dominant.
They used a lot of energy and enthusiasm to counteract the lack of polish on their work. Some of their moves looked less than ideal, but they performed everything with such intensity that it helped keep the crowd invested.
Hail felt Parker tap out, but the ref didn't see it. This allowed Parker to hit her finisher after the hold was released to score the win.
This was a decent match, but the finish needed to be replayed to make it make sense.
Result: Parker defeated Hail
Grade: C+
Notable Moments and Observations
—Parker has gained a lot of popularity, but it's hard to tell if WWE wants her to be a heel or babyface sometimes.
—Whipping someone around by their head and neck always looks painful.
—Parker was too tall for Hail to properly apply an abdominal stretch.
Kelani Jordan vs. Lash Legend
2 of 7
The next contest featured Jordan taking on Legend in another Evolution Eliminator. Despite being the smaller competitor, Jordan took control right out of the gate.
We returned from a break to see Jordan counter a suplex into a cradle for a two-count. This was a competitive encounter that got better as time went on.
They had a couple of minor missteps in the early moments, but they found their groove and leaned into their strengths. Legend focused on power moves, while Jordan used her agility to keep her off balance.
After countering a couple of finisher attempts, Legend hit hers to get the win.
This is a feud WWE should keep in its back pocket because these two have some solid chemistry.
Result: Legend defeated Parker
Grade: B-
Notable Moments and Observations
—Did WWE ever use the term "eliminator match" before All Elite Wrestling did? It would usually be called a tournament or No. 1 Contender's match in WWE when these things happen.
—Jordan almost slipped when she went for a front handspring.
—The way Legend hit her finisher looked great. Jordan did an excellent job making sure she was in the right position.
Trick Williams, Wes Lee and AJ Francis vs. Elijah, Josh Briggs and Yoshiki Inamura
3 of 7
Tony D'Angelo demanded to know what happened between Stacks and Luca Crusifino in the desert. Luca repeated the same story as before and denied being any kind of ally to Stacks.
Stacks came out and tried to entice Luca to turn on Tony D. Luca and Tony tried to fight off his cronies together, but Luca accidentally took down Tony with a big right hand when Stacks ducked, leading to the usual misunderstanding in these situations.
The next bout was the six-man tag match with Elijah, Briggs and Inamura taking on Williams, Francis and Wes Lee, who was replacing an injured Navarro.
Lee started off against Inamura and tried to hit some leg kicks, but Inamura was too powerful and took him down with ease.
This was five powerful stars and one high-flyer, so we got some interesting combinations of opponents throughout the match. Lee being so easy for everyone to pick up made his time in the ring the most entertaining because he was getting tossed around like it was nothing.
In a bit of a surprising outcome, Inamura pinned Williams to get the win for his team.
Result: Elijah, Inamura and Briggs defeated Williams, Lee and Francis
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
—We found out during a backstage segment that Navarro was not cleared to compete and was replaced by Lee.
—We got a Chase U segment with his new class.
—It's kind of weird that they are acting like people can't leave NQCC if they want to.
—When Inamura and Briggs hit Lee with a double-team move, Briggs' dropkick came nowhere near connecting.
—Elijah has so much agility for a guy his size. He had some impressive spots in this match.
Zaria vs. Izzi Dame
4 of 7
The third Evolution Eliminator had Zaria taking on Dame. Sol Ruca, Shawn Spears and Niko Vance were all at ringside.
Dame tried to win right away with a roll-up, but Zaria kicked out, regrouped and started unloading with big right hands.
Zaria is a powerful competitor, but it's easy to forget Dame is roughly the same size until you see them next to each other.
What could have easily been booked as a one-sided bout ended up being highly competitive. Neither woman had a clear advantage over the other, so the outcome wasn't as easy to predict as some of the other matches on the card.
Tatum Paxley distracted Zaria by hugging Ruca from behind and freaking her out, which opened the door for Dame to hit a spinebuster for the win.
Result: Dame defeated Zaria
Grade: B-
Notable Moments and Observations
—Zaria has one of the most interesting looks in all of WWE. She's a unique talent with a high ceiling for success.
—The Culling feels like such an afterthought lately. The group needs something to give it a boost.
Lola Vice vs. Jordynne Grace
5 of 7
The final Evolution Eliminator saw Grace take on Vice. The winner would take on Dame, Legend and Parker in next week's Fatal 4-Way.
Vice took control early and seemed to have Grace's number. She hit a hard running hip strike in the corner as the show cut to a break.
We returned to see The Juggernaut beginning to make a comeback. She countered a submission by picking Vice up and dropping her on her back.
This was the best of the four Eliminator matches we got this week. Vice looked great here, but it was Grace who ended up scoring the win. These two need to meet again with more time because this only scratched the surface.
Result: Grace defeated Vice
Grade: B+
Notable Moments and Observations
—Vice's headscissor takedown looked great. It looked like she had to work to get Grace over instead of it looking like they worked together to make it happen.
—Grace had new entrance music. It's definitely a downgrade.
Blake Monroe is Officially an NXT Superstar
6 of 7The show ended with Monroe coming out to sign her contract with NXT general manager Ava.
The new signing called NXT the best women's division in the world and said WWE has always been her dream.
Fatal Influence showed up and got into a fight with Monroe. Fallon Henley and Jacy Jayne put her through a table while Ava watched in frustration.
Having a brand new Superstar get taken out in what was only her second appearance was a bit surprising, but it definitely set her up as a potential opponent for Jayne down the line.
Unfortunately, there wasn't much else to get invested in here. The segment was short and didn't do enough to make Monroe feel like a threat to anyone's title reign.
Grade: C
The Final Word
7 of 7
Tuesday was unofficially "Ladies Night" on NXT with four out of five matches highlighting the women’s division.
Grace, Legend, Parker and Dame all won their Eliminator matches, which means they will do battle in a Fatal 4-Way next week to see who gets a shot at the NXT Women's Championship at Evolution 2.
The sole men’s match on the card had a shocking ending with Inamura pinning the TNA champion. The Noah star told Briggs if he was given a title shot, he would give it to him instead, which was confirmed to be official at the end of the show.
Throughout the show, WWE was hyping Monroe signing her NXT contract. It was even booked as the final segment of the night in an attempt to make it feel like a big deal.
This week’s episode was relatively average in terms of the action we got, but it was entertaining enough to fill a couple of hours. If you only have time to see one match, Vice vs. Grace would be the best choice.
Grade: C+
.jpg?w=600 "WWE Raw Results & Grades 🔠")
