NXT HITS & MISSES (5/6): Battle Royal return of Timothy Thatcher, Hank & Tank & Hendry vs. Dark State, Jaida Parker vs. Petrivic, Grace vs. Giulia

Tank Ledger & Hank Walker & Joe Hendry vs. DarkState: Hit

Please, Booker…stop calling the spin move by Joe Hendry the “money shot”…please! Another fun match with Hank & Tank, who continue to win me over with their athleticism. Hendry is always a favorite for me. Dark State is another group that I have grown to like. I wish they’d give him more mic time, but at least they’re wrestling now than just beating people up post-matches. Considering the only “veteran” in the ring was Hendry, everyone put on a good show. I love the Williams feud with Hendry, because as I’ve mentioned before, if you want to turn Trick heel, his perfect opponent is the popular Joe Hendry. Good win by DarkState.

Kelani Jordan vs. Zaria: Hit

Fun match between these two. I’ve been lucky to see Jordan progress in her time in NXT. I still think she needs a turn at some point, but frankly I feel the same about Zaria. NXT needs a monster heel female and Zaria fits the bill perfectly.

NXT #1 Contender’s Battle Royal: Minor Hit

First, as a long time watcher of NXT, it was so awesome to see Timothy Thatcher back. He used to be one of my favorites. Also, great ovation for Elijah; that was awesome, just freaking awesome. Part of my marks against the battle royal was the lack of intros for the talent. Some I didn’t recognize and would’ve loved to have seen at least a short vignette introducing them, if they weren’t getting a proper intro. Plus marks for not a ton of quick eliminations that usually occur, leaving a scant amount of wrestlers in there. This was my first look at Sean Legacy and I was impressed. I liked the showing from Randy Orton…I mean, Miles Bourne, as well. A surprise win for Bourne and I’m all for going against the grain. I can see this leading to Dempsey getting upset that a protégé won what he couldn’t.

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Jaida Parker vs. Karmen Petrovic: Minor Hit

Not a bad match, but it’s hard to invest in Parker as a heel, when she really is over with the crowd. She’s come such a long way in the ring though and Petrovic looked okay in defeat. Will the crowd be anti-Parker against the popular Thea Hail? We’ll see. As it appears that’ll happen sooner than later.

Jordynne Grace vs. Giulia: Hit

Of course these two would put on an awesome match. I love Grace, but she’s not even close to getting love going against Stephanie Vaquer. Maybe Grace is the monster heel I said the division needs? One thing: I’m so happy it was a clean finish. I was afraid of a wonky finish that would lead to yet another Triple Threat match (I agree with Oba Femi earlier in his confrontation with the NQCC: no more Triple Threats). Regardless, Grace versus Vaquer should be an absolute treat.