Recommendation of: NXT Heatwave 2024 by AverageMansReviews - Spoiler Alarm!

Recommendation of: NXT Heatwave 2024 by AverageMansReviews - Spoiler Alarm!

Warning/Speculation: there is flashing effects/colourful/adult language references and I will be speculating at some point.

Wes Lee vs. Champ Oba Femi Last Chance Match for the NXT North American Championship Since Femi won, Lee can never challenge for the title for as long as Femi is champion: it is the opening the package to this event in a computer game style, where Shawn Spears making a reference about the pinnacle [which is a backhanded reference to The Pinnacle from AEW which he was a member of.] Lee has a little malfunction on the ring ropes as he tries to spring off them, the commentary team of Vic Joseph & Booker T. make references to this on commentary as well, for the second time in this match Lee comes off the ropes [this time outside in] his takeoff as in footing looks slightly less than convincing T. References this on commentary. Joseph makes reference to a Cardiac Kick maybe not be caught fully not once but twice in this match slot, but to cover my back from the camera shots/angles it is inconclusive based on we can't see it. The crowd were really into this match so despite the botches. This match/match slot receives: 8/10.

Sol Ruca vs. Champ Kelani Jordan; Singles for the WWE Women's North American Championship: okay I am just going to say it as it is; whoever put these two media packages together was lazy, because we have Jordan making reference to Michael Jordan and then we have Ruca making reference to LeBron James, well at least we know someone is a fan of Space Jam 1996 and Space Jam: A New Legacy 2021. Now full disclosure I have heard some bits and seen some bits of this match and I have to say it is turning out how I expected it, with Jordan going a little bit low on a flying cross body from the bottom right top turnbuckle which Joseph makes reference to on commentary. Jordan performance a version of a hurricanrana and even though Joseph says something to the effect of it is beautiful, I think we have a difference of opinion on things that are beautiful. Because it wasn't bad, but hardly beautiful, this is one of those situations where you can tell that both of these wrestlers are very green as wrestlers and their experience goes, individually they may be excellent gymnasts in their own right, but when you step into the ring that is a completely different kettle of fish. Ruca is on the side of the ring apron closest to the entrance and she performs essentially a gymnastic version of a flying clothesline and yes it may look impressive, but it doesn't matter if the clothesline looks sloppy when hitting its target/opponent in this case Jordan. Jordan performs a poisonrana which looks okay, but could have easily not as Ruca's head is securely in the right position. I am not gaslighting anyone here, but I just don't feel overly comfortable watching two very young and inexperienced wrestlers go one-on-one, regardless of how much the commentary tried to build them up and then we come on to Ruca's power bomb with pin, the positioning of Jordan was sloppy, Jordan came off Ruca's right shoulder instead of the front and we have Joseph trying to cover it up as a reversal, but that doesn't work when in this sequence of events Ruca is the one in control throughout. I can really appreciate the audience being really supportive, but when the crowd comes out with the chant This is awesome, then I have a problem. Because this is not awesome, I feel sorry for these two inexperienced wrestlers having to try and make it work and put together a solid match structure. We have another set up to a poisonrana in the far bottom top turnbuckle area, but this one did crumble a little bit. But in this rare occasion it is actually safer if it crumbled as Ruca basically takes a flapjack right onto the face in front instead of landing possibly on her head so as you can see/read out of the two possible outcomes the one she took was possibly safer than the actual move. Joseph makes reference to the possibility of there being a rematch, to that I say; are you nuts? Not at this moment in time. If anything I am furious at the hierarchy of this internal promotion; because essentially they sent out two very green wrestlers with a limited repertoire of moves. I know Lee had some botches in the previous match slot, but my point is incredibly valid; you can tell that Lee is and has been around wrestling long enough now to just keep things going when they aren't possibly working out how things should be going, so putting him up with/against Femi as an experienced wrestling with someone new, it gives you the option to walk around shortcomings this can also work with ageing veterans as well. So I am no idea why in my opinion they would allow two green female wrestlers to one-on-one when they don't have the experience to be a ring general. So this is just bad booking, but taking everything into consideration and with what these women together and including the crowd participation/support. This match/match slot receives: 6/10.

Chase University's: Andre Chase & Duke Hudson [with Riley Osborne & Thea Hail] vs. Champs Nathan Frazer & Axiom; Tag Team Match for the NXT Tag Team Championship: there is some surrounding segments at both ends of this match/match slot which are good, now throughout the entirety of this match it is good entertainment, but there is one, just one little thing that annoyed me and it is where we have Axiom performs a variety of move similar to Will Osprey's hidden blade on Andre and we have T. basically going on about that the move should be illegal and all that with Joseph saying it isn't. Obviously this could be all coincidently, but I do wonder just by a little fragment of salt if it is aimed at Osprey. This match/match slot receives: 8/10.

Lola Vice vs. Champ Roxanne Perez; Singles Match for the NXT Women's Championship: the video package for this upcoming match was routinely good, but for yet again one thing vice’s promo with her opponent for this match was in its delivery of a garbage standard, I just didn't like it. Perez performs a reversal into a flow over sitting down pinning combination; the mechanics of this reversal was really sloppy, in quick time we have yet another sloppy reversal by Perez has she kicks off the bottom right turnbuckle to escape from a submission consequently into a pin, but she isn't fully on top. T. is being really unprofessional as we head to the outside of the ring closest to the commentary table where because Vice is in control, T. is asking the referee [Derek Sanders] are to do his job and when his protégé turns things around T. goes on about doing things to keep your championship. Joseph just said something really stupid he refers to Perez as a veteran; I mean she needed her debut in a wrestling in 2018, so as you can see using the word veteran in any context here is out of place including Vice; based on she has been mixed martial arts between 2019-2021 crossover into wrestling in 2022, I mean if Joseph wants to go with roughly 6 years for Perez and a round two years for Vice but still doesn't make Perez a veteran. Joseph goes on later on to call Perez a ring general after she puts her foot on the bottom up. I have to be honest the commentary team have done this match no favours whatsoever, because yes they do put over Vice as well, but let's just say; it is clear just in this one match alone that it is incredibly obvious who the NXT hierarchy/the WWE hierarchy are pushing to make the next big star in the future of the WWE, to be fair I am not sure if this table spot was meant to break or not so I will have to say inconclusive but Joseph does point out that the table doesn't break, it never looked like breaking anyway, that is why I am saying inconclusive, if you have ever watched a lot of wrestling you can normally tell if something was meant to happen or not but as it looks like it was not meant to break I will give it an inconclusive and finally there are some really poorly executed pop rocks the first and second in this sequence are really poorly executed and she is using this move too much as uses it up to 5 times in this match so eventually it will lose its credibility if she is not careful and it makes her look like a one trick pony. Yes the crowd participation where really here for this match/match slot, but as you can tell I am not impressed, but because of the crowd and the surrounding bits and pieces around this match slot, if I give this mark which I will, I wanted to be known it is given by the skin of its teeth I mean as it relates to the other woman's match on this card at least they had a good reason for not having the most highest quality of matches and that being of course individually or together they are green. This match/match slot receives: 6/10

Je'Von Evans vs. Ethan Page vs. Shawn Spears vs. Champ Trick William; Fatal Four-Way Match for the NXT Championship: another reference to The Pinnacle from Spears in the building up video package. Joseph says something really confusing; he starts off with it has almost been a decade since this championship has been defended under this stipulation and says 2021 was the last time; I am paraphrasing but as you can see it isn't anywhere near a decade. I have heard this four times and I still can't make heads or tails of it, so to cover my back I could have got this slightly wrong, but it just makes no sense. Joseph makes a reference to Spears' history as he says he is not interested in the past; it is roughly around the far right bottom turnbuckle and yet again Joseph makes a reference on the behalf of Spears making reference to his past hasn't there is a white chair in the left top corner. I mean I don't mind all of these vague references to AEW, but can we focus on Spears as a talented wrestler that AEW didn't really give him anything of substance to do, so why not show it at NXT; you know what AEW missed out on that kind of approach. Moving on; Williams and Evans go for a similar kick but they have this crash moment of sorts [it is one of those occasions where; it is designed to give a break to proceedings] and then I hope Evans' back/lower back is okay, because everything went right in this spot, but when this spot happens you will know what sport I am referring to, it is just at the last second it looks like his lower back takes a right little jab. This match/match slot receives: 9/10

The average mark of this pay-per-view is: 8/10, as you can clearly see 3 highly positive match slots with which are problematic and/or irritating to see at the very least.