For a certain type of person, not much compares to Proving A Point. It can be such a rewarding form of victory, particularly if that person enjoys Playing The Game.
No business has just one person pulling all the strings, though in WWE it’s kind of always felt that way. Vince McMahon had retired and his daughter was Co-CEO but as far as appearances go this was the Triple H company now – and thirty years of data says he really likes proving points.
Just a year ago his decade-long pro wrestling experiment NXT was rebranded to NXT 2.0, a minor change in name but large and uncomfortably public rebuke of his — the assumed WWE heir apparent — entire approach to wrestling promotion.
A year later things were different. The heir apparent had reclaimed his status and was very loudly pulling strings. The third Worlds Collide – a first since 2020 – suddenly appeared on the schedule for the day after WWE’s Clash at the Castle and actual day of AEW’s All Out. The announcement felt like it was coming from a guy determined not only to get back to his wrestling vision after McMahon got too involved, but who also wanted to make fun of the competition’s approach to PPV too: 1-2 episodes of NXT TV suddenly arranged an entire show.
NXT Worlds Collide aired from WWE’s Performance Center, with a theme of NXT 2.0’s champions in matches against wrestlers from NXT 1.0 or NXT UK. With the recent closure of NXT UK and something called NXT Europe only a concept right now, the NXT and NXT UK World, Tag and Women’s Titles were unified as well.
1. NXT North American Title: Carmelo Hayes [c] w/ Trick Williams vs. Ricochet [c]
On a show from a company that takes their presentation very seriously, Carmelo Hayes’ entrance with jerseys for all his title defenses/victims (and a special one for Ricochet) was extraordinary presentation. Ricochet, the 2nd NXT North American Champion (Hayes is the 15th), arrived from a recent return as a SmackDown regular to have a blast of a match with young Melo Hayes.
They started with the slick rope-running and countering before distraction by Trick led to Melo on offense. Plenty of impressive spots were sprinkled throughout but they paced themselves and built-up to two huge ones that might only work if done by them: first Melo ran through a Ricochet handspring which Ricochet tried to thwart by backflipping only for Melo to springboard off the second rope with a flying back elbow. Then they clotheslined each other really hard, stared each other down, and agreed to springboard off the second rope into each other. Superhero stuff. Those strikes they were throwing towards the end weren’t Gunther/Sheamus level but they were hitting, too. ****
2. Fatal 4-Way NXT Tag Team Title Unification Elimination Match: The Creed Brothers [c] w/ Damon Kemp vs. Briggs & Jensen [c] w/ Fallon Henley vs. Gallus w/ Joe Coffey vs. Pretty Deadly w/ Lash Legend
The Creed Brothers’ complicated mentor Roderick Strong was attacked in the parking lot before the show, which combined with Briggs & Jensen cinematically emerging from a bar for their entrance set a stage. Not a grand stage or a big stage, but some kind of stage.
The match? Nothing special. Big fellas Briggs & Jensen did dives! Jensen also blew a dive. There was too much stock put in a spot where Joe Coffey stood on the apron to prevent Pretty Deadly from escaping the ring, but Coffey looked so short and unimposing that no one seemed to pick up on it. The Creeds and Pretty Deadly ended up the final two, and while they didn’t re-create the magic from NXT In Your House or even their TV Steel Cage Match a week ago but they were the right teams to close up. ***
3. Triple Threat NXT Women’s Title Unification Match: Mandy Rose [c] vs. Meiko Satomura [c] vs. Blair Davenport
I may feel like reminiscing about NXT UK one day but the only theme I can think of now is how formulaic it became, both an indictment of WWE’s ability to be interesting and a natural, sort of impressive end game to the Vince McMahon era. Meiko Satomura’s NXT UK Women’s Title reign was the best thing about it post-WALTER too.
The WWE Triple Threat (or Fatal 4-Way!) is another formulaic offering that sometimes borders on a weird impressive, like this match here that won’t have much staying power but did not seem to lose momentum from beginning to end. Satomura countering a double-team suplex with a double DDT was such a great peak I thought she was going to win. ***1/4
4. NXT Women’s Tag Team Title: Kayden Carter & Kacy Catanzaro [c] vs. Nikki ASH & Doudrop
The last two matches didn’t blow anyone’s mind but whether on purpose or not this match kind of slowed the show to a halt. The RAW duo dominated, Toxic Attraction did a run-in, and nobody looked any better than they did coming into the match. **
5. NXT Title & NXT UK Title Unification Match: Bron Breakker [c] vs. Tyler Bate [c]
This match was between two guys brought up in the wrestling business under very different circumstances, two guys who possess physical gifts that allow them to stand out even in the land of the physically gifted.
Tyler Bate made his wrestling debut at 15-years-old and climbed the ranks of the UK indies for four years, signing with and becoming a champion in WWE before 20 after earning a rep as a Catch-as-Catch-Can wunderkid.
Bron Breakker is Rick Steiner’s actual son and was trained almost from scratch at the WWE Performance Center with a style inspired by football and TV.
In the Worlds Collide main event they displayed said physical gifts. Any possible clash in styles ended up less a hindrance and more a storytelling device. Like, Tyler Bate used the Johnny Saint spot and New Generation Steiner played along as victim. It was wild. One might say worlds were colliding.
Breakker eventually overpowered the smaller Bate who had to resort to dives and a standing Shooting Star Press and whatnot to keep Breakker sweating. Bate’s wrestling matches feel more sporadic than ever post-COVID but he is still so good, from the graceful delivery on his spots to the way he ups the speed on his opponent and creates such a frantic environment that any result feels possible. He managed an awesome near fall off a cradle before Breakker — suddenly, impactfully — caught him with a spear that couldn’t not be the finish. ****
Happy Thoughts: I’m not one to ask for much from a show announced with a couple weeks notice that was probably just counter-programming, but this was fun. It wasn’t quite NXT TakeOver but the consistency was about there. 3.75 / 5.0
