WWE NXT Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction, Highlights From May 19

The May 19 edition of WWE NXT promised a wild show including multiple major title matches.

Tatum Paxley defended the Women's North American Championship against Lizzy Rain. Dion Lennox and Saquon Shugars hoped to bring the NXT Tag Team Championships back to DarkState.

Tony D'Angelo and Myles Borne teamed up against potential title challengers Mason Rook and Kam Hendrix. Tate Wilder collided with Keanu Carver.

This was the foundation of an eventful night of action for WWE's developmental show.

Tony D'Angelo and Myles Borne vs. Mason Rook and Kam Hendrix

Last Time in Action: This was the first time Tony D'Angelo and Myles Borne teamed up in NXT, and this was the debut of both Mason Rook and Kam Hendrix in NXT.

While Rook and D'Angelo collided confidently in explosive exchanges, a strong Chop Block from Hendrix behind the referee's back allowed Rook and Hendrix to isolate and wear down Borne.

When D'Angelo got the hot tag, he was rolling until Rook dived onto him with a Running Senton.

Borne tagged back in, followed by a massive brawl. Tavion Heights tried to help Borne but accidentally bumped into him.

This set up Rook for a Corner Death Valley Driver followed by a Fireman's Carry Powerslam. Hendrix got the blind tag and stole the pin from Rook.

While Rook struggled to fully stand out on the mic, he was the star of this match. He is explosive and electric in the ring, making the most of his size whether he's running, diving or dropping his opponents.

He and D'Angelo instantly sold their coming battle for the NXT Championship as a future premium live event main event.

Hendrix struggled in comparison to stand out, often delivering far too basic offense opposite two of NXT's best right now.

Still, NXT finally found a great booking spot for him, stealing the thunder from the already popular Rook and pinning the North American champion.

Rook and Hendrix worked decently well as a tag team, but this clearly indicated that it will not last. When Rook lays out Hendrix at some point, the crowd will go wild.

Result

Hendrix and Rook def. Borne and D'Angelo by pinfall.

Grade

A-

Notable Moments and Observations

While NXT has tried to sell Hendrix as a dangerous explosive heel, his entrance theme is too corny for that presentation.

Rook's entrance already got an upgrade with an animated tank intro.

The crowd only wanted to see Rook working on the heel side, playing out his full chant when he got the first tag in to fight D'Angelo.

Lola Vice Agrees to Defend Against Izzi Dame, and Wren Sinclair Lays Out Kelani Jordan

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Izzi Dame with Shawn Spears standing over Lola Vice

Kelani Jordan questioned what she needed to do to get an NXT Women's Championship opportunity.

Izzi Dame interrupted to make her own case for a title shot, which brought out Lola Vice.

The champion agreed to defend her title against Dame next week before Kendal Grey arrived. She distracted Lani for an attack by Wren Sinclair with her crutch.

Why does NXT insist on these interruption promo segments? They never go well for anyone and often make one or more of the competitors look bad.

In this case, Jordan stumbled through her solo promo time, and she and Dame got nowhere with their bickering. Vice also struggled to deliver confident mic work.

While her time was short, Grey was the closest to coming out of this looking good despite the loss last week, and the crowd support further emphasized her popularity in comparison to the field of challengers.

After all the buildup, throwing Vice vs. Dame into a one-on-one title match for a random TV episode next week is bizarre, though Great American Bash is not until July.

The plan may be to build up to a multi-woman match for the next PLE.

Grade

D+

Notable Moments and Observations

Grey and Wren got the most support from the NXT audience.

Backstage, Sean Legacy told Dorian Van Dux that they would fight in the Speed Tournament next week.

In the women's locker room, Jaida Parker demanded to speak to Natalya, only to meet her mentee Layla Diggs. They agreed to fight next week.

Later, Izzi argued with Shawn Spears after he advised he got a tag team match with Niko Vance against OTM next week, distracting from her title match.

Tristan Angels vs. Romeo Moreno (w/ Noam Dar)

Last Time in Action: This was the debut match for both Tristan Angels and Romeo Moreno, though these two men did previously fight in Evolve (April 8) where Angels defeated Moreno.

Romeo fought hard against the debuting cocky Angels, helped by the distraction of Shiloh Hill in the crowd.

However, Mr. England would not be denied in his debut match, sealing the victory with a Rocker Dropper.

Afterward, Angels mocked Hill, who responded by declaring his plan to become Mr. NXT.

This was a competitive match despite barely going over five minutes. Romeo actually looked better than Angels in terms of pure in-ring action.

Both men though showed why NXT is relying upon them as Evolve call-ups.

Angels' feud with Hill has potential, though their interaction after the match was bizarre amateur theater that would not work outside of developmental.

Both men are likely to do better work in the ring than on the mic, and the crowd was at least into it all.

Despite Noam Dar coming out in Romeo's corner for this match, he did not factor much into the match.

Result

Angels def. Romeo by pinfall.

Grade

B- (for the match)/C- (for the post-match)

Notable Moments and Observations

Before heading out for his match, Romeo convinced Dar to stand in his corner for the match.

Romeo got no entrance while Angels got a full dramatic presentation for his debut.

Hill continues to be a bizarre performer in all he does including his weird attire in the crowd, including a fiery top hat.

Romeo has a good name for an easy wrestling chant, proven by his consistent crowd support in the match. He needs a more defined character though.

North American Championship: Tatum Paxley (c) vs. Lizzy Rain

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Tatum Paxley

Last Time in Action: Lizzy Rain and Tatum Paxley defeated Nikkita Lyons and Zaria (NXT, May 12).

This was a wild, high-energy contest where the crowd was behind both champion and challenger.

Rain started to wear down Paxley with her Machine Gun Chops and Samoan Drop for a near-fall. Tatum caught Rain diving then went for the Cemetery Drive, but the champ countered into a Headbutt.

The two women exchanged near-fall pin attempts before Paxley transitioned into Cemetery Drive for the win.

Afterward, Zaria arrived to lay out both women and stand tall again with the Women's North American Championship.

This was a fantastic match, delivering great pure in-ring action. This stands amongst Paxley's best matches this year and instantly elevated Rain despite the loss.

By the end, it was clear that it was not yet time to move off Paxley as champion, but Rain is a future champion in the making.

It was also nice to see a clean finish despite the obvious interference looming from Zaria. Paxley deserved the clean win, and Rain can rebound easily from the loss.

Paxley vs. Zaria feels big time and needs the proper spotlight. It will be a very different match than this one as it will be more about the heat between the competitors than the pure athleticism.

It is hard to call who walks out champ, but Zaria might need that win more at this stage of her rising career.

Result

Paxley def. Rain by pinfall to retain the Women's North American Championship.

Grade

A

Notable Moments and Observations

The men's and women's NXT and North American champions congregated backstage in a fun acknowledgement of their shared championship struggles.

Afterward, Naraku arrived to make clear Tony D'Angelo needed to watch out.

Kali Armstrong was shown watching closely backstage, indicating she is also in line for a future title shot. She is likely next after Zaria.

Rain and Paxley flowed like they have been working together for years, and this should lead to them teaming more together in the future

Keanu Carver vs. Tate Wilder

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Keanu Carver

Last Time in Action: Tate Wilder alongside Sean Legacy and EK Prosper lost to BirthRight (NXT, May 12); Keanu Carver defeated Joe Hendry (NXT, April 21).

Carver started this match hard hitting, wearing down Wilder, but Wilder found his openings to fight back.

He laid out Carver with a Tornado DDT on the floor followed by a Frog Splash but chose not to go for the cover.

When he went for a Moonsault, Carver knocked him down with a Pounce followed by Take A Buck for the victory.

This was a solid extended squash. While Wilder got the hot sequence near the end, this was all Carver otherwise as it should be.

He remains the most interesting rising star in NXT that should be in line for gold before long.

Wilder has established himself quickly in character and has some exciting offense. He needs to find the x-factor that helps him stand out in the ring though.

With so many fast paced and explosive competitors, he is suddenly trying to compete with more established names like EK Prosper and Sean Legacy for a similar spot.

Hopefully, there is a plan to take this "adrenaline junkie" gimmick to the next level rather than just using it as an excuse for why he cannot win.

Result

Carver def. Wilder by pinfall.

Grade

B-

Notable Moments and Observations

Vic Joseph questioned why Booker T liked Carver so much after their early issues. Booker did not explain the change.

OTM signed Shiloh Hill's petition to become Mr. NXT while BirthRight took offense. Charlie Dempsey challenged him for next week.

Mason Rook Lays Out Kam Hendrix

Kam Hendrix in the ring called his shot not for Myles Borne' North American Championship but instead Tony D'Angelo's NXT Championship.

Mason Rook arrived to question Hendrix's attitude. When Hendrix refused to give Rook credit, the big man laid him out with a Corner Death Valley Driver.

This feels like a post-match to the opener NXT should have run right after the match finish. Instead, it was delayed to just before the main event, losing some of its steam.

Hendrix is a generic promo as much as he is a generic wrestler. Nothing about him stands out despite him attempting to emulate better athletes.

Overall, this struggled to sell why it needed to happen instead of giving the main event a couple more minutes.

Still, the crowd got what they wanted in the end as Rook stood over Hendrix, who has tried repeatedly to steal his thunder.

Grade

D+

Notable Moments and Observations

Hendrix called himself Showtime with a necklace to back it up. That is an odd choice of nickname when it is so synonymous with certain great athletes.

Rook should not have switched back to casual attire for this as it hurts his presentation.

NXT Tag Team Championships: Vanity Project (c) vs. DarkState

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DarkState

Last Time in Action: Dion Lennox and Saquon Shugars alongside Osiris Griffin and Cutler James lost to Tony D'Angelo, Ethan Page, Ricky Saints and Joe Hendry (NXT, April 7); Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes successfully defended against Los Americanos (NXT: Stand & Deliver, April 4).

After DarkState started this match off with a fast-paced brawl, Baylor and Smokes slowed the pace and managed to isolate Shugars.

When Lennox got the hot tag, he began to push the pace, driving DarkState to a near-fall after a Sit-Out Suplex.

Lennox hit a Spinebuster followed by a blind tag Shugars Diving Elbow Drop for a near-fall. DarkState began to argue, allowing Smokes to catch him with an Inside Cradle for the win.

Afterward, Griffin and James laid out Shugars, and Lennox followed their lead. Together, they Triple Powerbombed the former DarkState star through the announce table.

This was an over-the-top match that occasionally missed the mark due to the wild ambition of all four young competitors, but the end result was still fun.

In particular, Shugars and Lennox were trying their best to play explosive babyfaces and certainly had the crowd invested.

This led to some fun sequences that could have set up a title change and full babyface turn for DarkState.

Instead, it looks like the plan is for Shugars alone to turn face while DarkState tries to sell themselves as better down without the "weak link".

While it is hard to trust that DarkState is suddenly going to get better booking, Shugars as a newly turned solo face is intriguing given his wild charisma.

He might just find his way to breaking out all alone from here on out.

Result

Smokes and Baylor def. Shugars and Lennox by pinfall to retain the NXT Tag Team Championships.

Grade

B

Notable Moments and Observations

Earlier in the night, Lennox and Shugars promised Griffin and James that they were on the same page with no arguments over the last week.

Before the match backstage, Lockwood promised to make sure both Griffin and Cutler did not get involved.

Jackson Drake came out in a nice suit and played coach to Vanity Project.

The crowd was all in on DarkState despite them technically still playing heels.

Overall Show

Is it all starting to come together for NXT? This week's show delivered promising results, even with some rough promo segments.

The in-ring work massively outperformed expectations, especially highlighted by a great opener and two strong championship matches.

Tatum Paxley vs. Lizzy Rain was the highlight of the night and would have been the main event if NXT did not have a big twist planned to close the show.

DarkState fought hard, and the change in direction post-match is intriguing. Saquon Shugars has a new opportunity to rise up the ranks, and DarkState might get better with a fresh focus.

Even if it does not work out, it shows NXT taking creative swings, which are needed.

Mason Rook also continues to sell himself to the NXT faithful, and the championship scenes are clear.

The star power of NXT is much less in question just a month after what looked to be a disastrous post-WrestleMania talent drain, and that is a great sign for the longevity of the brand.

Overall Grade: B+