WWE NXT HITS & MISSES (9/9): Stephanie Vaquer finally shows up on TV! Tyler Breeze’s shocking return! Plus, DIY return home

Je’von Evans vs. Josh Briggs: Hit

I’m all for a Josh Briggs push. They seemed to have done this one other time and it fell by the wayside. He has the potential to be a great mid-card heel and although it wasn’t a clean win over Je’von Evans, I think it worked for him. Briggs has become a bit of a guilty pleasure for me. Evans, on the other hand, loses nothing with the defeat, as he is consistently pushed as the underdog, especially to larger talent. I felt these two worked well together and I wouldn’t mind revisiting this down the road.

Trick Williams/Carmello Hayes/DIY Segment: Hit

I like the direction of NXT vs. NXT 2.0 matchups. I was slightly discouraged with Melo until he started to turn on Trick, rather than ignore their past differences, as well as bringing up the dynamic of betrayal between Chiampa and Gargano. This will more than likely be a fun matchup between these two teams for Homecoming

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Lainey Reid vs. Faby Apache: Minor Hit

Okay matchup (I’m still adjusting to the Speed matches, sorry). I like Natalya and I hope to see more of the “Nattie” character, rather than Natalya moving forward. Her aggressiveness is awesome. I’m relatively new to Apache and Reid, but they put on a decent, short speed matchup.

Dark State vs. Hank & Tank: Hit

Another important win for Dark State. If they are going to be credible tag champs, they need to compile wins (even distraction wins). The Joe Hendry reveals can be silly at times, but people (myself included) love them, so why fix what isn’t broken. Hank & Tank are still a fun underdog team and I enjoy what they do in the ring. In my opinion though: I think sometimes Dark State needs to be more…well, Dark. I think they need a deeper edge.

Ethan Page vs. Tavion Heights: Minor Hit

I’m not necessarily a fan of Flag Matches (flashback: Corporal Kirshner vs. Nikolai Volkoff), but this was okay. What saved this match for me was the return of Tyler Breeze. I forgot how much I missed his flamboyancy. I think the after match was more enjoyable than the matchup. Fun use of Breeze here…wouldn’t mind a run by him again.

Sol Ruca & Zaria vs. Fatal Influence vs. The Culling: Hit

This match exceeded my expectations. I like the advancement (although it has become slightly dragged out) of dissension between members of Fatal Influence and the Ruca/Zaria pairing. The biggest news out of this matchup was of course the return on Stephanie Vaquer (Favorite #1) and Rhea Ripley (Favorite #2) to challenge Fatal Influence at Homecoming. I’m excited by the concept of NXT (Black & Gold) s. NXT 2.0. That should be a lot of fun.