5 things WWE NXT Spring Breakin' got right: Bron Breakker retains; RAW tag team defeated
A special episode of WWE NXT featured some big matches on Tuesday night. After weeks of animosity between the rivals, Bron Breakker defended his NXT Championship against Joe Gacy on the show.
Natalya teamed up with Lash Legend to take on Nikkita Lyons & Cora Jade in a tag team match. On the special episode, Cameron Grimes also defended his NXT North American Championship against Carmelo Hayes and Solo Sikoa.
The rivalry between Legado del Fantasma and Tony D’Angelo continued to develop on the show. Meanwhile, The Viking Raiders also took on The Creed Brothers in one of the most exciting matches of the night.
WWE booked several good matches and segments for NXT Spring Breakin’. It was a fun event that lived up to the hype. With that said, take a look at the five things WWE NXT got right this week.
#5. Cameron Grimes retained his NXT North American Championship
Cameron Grimes defended his North American Championship against Solo Sikoa and Carmelo Hayes on Tuesday night. Sikoa unloaded on his opponents after enduring a slap from Hayes.
The 27-year-old star hit some high-flying moves to lay out his opponents. Sikoa countered a senton from Hayes and went back on the offense. A Tower of Doom spot gave way to Solo power bombing Hayes on top of Grimes.
The Technical Savage powered back and hit a couple of hurricanranas but failed to execute the Cave In on Hayes. Sikoa hit a big splash, but Grimes broke the pin. All three men tried for their finishers but had them countered.
Cameron came out of nowhere to hit the Cave In on both men before picking up the win. It was an exciting contest that allowed the champion to retain his title.
WWE made the right call by keeping the North American Championship on Grimes. For years, he has been a consistent performer on NXT and deserves a long rung with the championship.
#4. Nathan Frazer scored a massive win over Grayson Waller
Nathan Frazer made his WWE NXT debut against one of the biggest heels of the brand, Grayson Waller. Frazer went on the offense early and locked in a sleeper hold on Waller.
The heel avoided a dive from Frazer before hitting a few thunderous blows to weaken the newcomer. He tore up a beachball and kept the pressure on Seth Rollins’ former student.
Nathan fired back with a series of superkicks and looked set to pick up a surprise win. Waller set him up for a dive, but Andre Chase came out to distract the heel. The newcomer took advantage and hit a big splash for the win.
Frazer was great in the ring and performed his heart out in his first match. Waller was a great first opponent for the debutant as he sold all his moves flawlessly. The Aussie will need to pick up some wins soon to come across as a threat on NXT again. Meanwhile, Frazer has already gotten a big push in his first match on television.
#3. Cora Jade & Nikkita Lyons picked up the win at NXT Spring Breakin'
Natalya teamed up with Lash Legend to take on Cora Jade & Nikkita Lyons on Tuesday. The heels isolated Jade early on, but the young superstar nearly stole the win with a quick rollup.
Lyons tagged into the contest and went on a roll. She hit some excellent moves to take down Natalya and Legend to keep the action ticking. She and Legend fought their way outside the ring before Natalya took out Jade once again.
Natalya mistakenly kicked Legend in the face. She tried to apologize, but the distraction was enough for Lyons to take advantage and hit a split drop on Legend. Jade finished Lash off with a Senton to secure the victory.
NXT Spring Breakin' needed a fun contest like this one. Lyons was the star once again, and it was surprising that Natalya and Jade did not get enough big spots in the ring together. Legend had an underwhelming showing even though she was working with one of the best wrestlers in the world.
#2. The Creed Brothers put away The Viking Raiders to make a statement
The Viking Raiders made their way to WWE NXT Spring Breakin' to take on The Creed Brothers. It was one of the most highly anticipated matches of the show.
The Raiders took control of the match early and squashed the brothers with some splashes. They hit Julius Creed with a big powerslam before Brutus tagged himself into the contest. The brothers worked together to get the better of the former RAW Tag Team Champions.
Erik countered a slam with his knees before The Raiders got back in the game once again. The two teams kept trading the advantage for some time and hit some impactful tag team moves.
Ivar and Erik hit their finisher on Julius, but Brutus broke the pin just in time. Roderick Strong came out to hit Erik in the face with a knee strike, and The Creed Brothers used the distraction to hit their finisher for the win.
The match was fast-paced and fun. Both teams had enough big spots to showcase their talent. In the end, the right team picked up the win. It was good to see a big squad from the main roster come down to NXT to give Julius and Brutus Creed a strong push. The two men are ready to become the next tag team champions.
#1. Bron Breaker retained his WWE NXT Championship against Joe Gacy
Bron Breakker came out wearing the same singlet worn by WWE Hall of Famer Rick Steiner on the very first RAW for his title defense against Joe Gacy. The NXT Champion was looking to teach Gacy a lesson during the contest.
He threw his challenger around early and sent him outside the ring. The heel fired back with some strikes and dropped the champion on the ring apron to get back in the contest.
He hit an inverted neck breaker before attempting a suicide dive on the champion outside the ring. Breakker caught him with an elbow and hit a few big slams. The two men exchanged a couple of big moves and kept the action ticking.
Gacy tried to hit his finisher, but Breakker countered it and hit a Spear to pick up the win. After the match, the champion was hounded by a couple of hooded men.
The match wasn’t the best bout on the show, and at no point did it look like Gacy was going to pick up the win. Without Harland by his side, he does not seem very threatening. However, he did manage to overpower his opponent on a few occasions.
It did help Breakker pile up another successful defense on a big show. He has been good in the ring and has put on memorable matches. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for the champion.
Suggested: We caught up with Bron Breakker at WrestleMania and asked him about winning Sportskeeda Wrestling Awards' Rookie Of The Year, his rise in NXT 2.0 & more. Watch what he had to say here