Wes Lee looked to prove himself as a top guy as he challenged NXT champion Carmelo Hayes at Heatwave.Credit: WWE.com. It is the hottest show on the WWE NXT calendar: Heatwave. Live from the WWE Performance Center, top names would battle on this special August 22 edition of NXT to build momentum into the fall and beyond.
Wes Lee has been on a mission to reclaim gold since losing his North American Championship. He challenged NXT champion Carmelo Hayes, hoping to solidify his place in the company.
Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio were set to team up in a mixed tag team match against Lyra Valkyria and Dragon Lee. Nathan Frazer defended the NXT Heritage Cup against the obsessed Noam Dar with Meta-Four in his corner.
Trick Williams wanted to prove himself beyond Melo and faced Ilja Dragunov one-on-one. Von Wagner stepped up to Baron Corbin, even while Bron Breakker promised he was not done with Mr. Stone's client.
This show had the chance to be special for NXT, especially relying upon its huge main event. Would the brand have a new champion, or would Melo continue his dominant reign at the top of the card?
Ilja Dragunov vs. Trick Williams
1 OF 8
Trick Williams fought through the toughest shots of Ilja Dragunov and stayed in the fight. However, The Mad Dragon was still too much, sealing his win with a diving low forearm smash to win.
This was a major test for Trick. His most competitive and high-profile singles match was against one of NXT's best. While it was not yet time for him to beat Dragunov, he absolutely held his own.
This was the kind of prove-it match that absolutely works. The fans were behind every near-fall. Trick worked at the pace that Dragunov set. He leaves this match as a future title contender, and he will likely win that gold sooner than later.
The Mad Dragon puts himself right back into the NXT Championship picture. He will likely get his rematch with Carmelo Hayes at No Mercy.
Result
Dragunov def. Trick by pinfall.
Grade
B+
Notable Moments
- Tony D'Angelo and Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo raised their cups in their pool to celebrate the big moments of Heatwave.
- Trick nearly took the win off an impressive top-rope uranage.
- Dragunov struggled to pull up Trick but managed to plant him with a powerbomb followed by a low forearm smash for a shocking near-fall.
- Trick stood back up after losing, which prompted an impressed nod from Dragunov.
- Wes Lee and Dragunov nearly got into a fight in the locker room as The Mad Dragon did not believe Lee could beat Melo.
Ivy Nile vs. Ava (w/ Schism)
2 OF 8
Ava dominated this match, using her power. However, all it took was one counter for Ivy Nile to pull out the dragon sleeper and force a submission.
NXT has never booked Schism well, but this may be one of the single worst nights the stable has ever had. Despite outnumbering Nile one-to-twenty, she beat Ava quickly and laid out all of the Schism grunts afterward.
While Nile should be rising in the ranks, there was no reason to make Schism look this incompetent. Ava does not look in the ring still, but it did not help that this never became a competitive bout over its two minutes.
Result
Nile def. Ava by submission.
Grade
D-
Notable Moments
- 3 sides of the ring were surrounded with masked Schism followers.
- After the match, Schism tried to attack Nile but got kicked around by the Diamond Mine star until they backed off.
- The Creed Brothers revealed themselves with Nile backstage, kidnapping Ava and laying down a challenge to The Dyad next week in a steel cage.
Heritage Cup: Nathan Frazer (c) (w/ Tyler Bate) vs. Noam Dar (w/ Meta-Four)
3 OF 8
After Dabba-Kato took out Tyler Bate in the second round, Nathan Frazer was left alone while Meta-Four was fully in attendance. It went all the way to the sixth round. Noam Dar ducked a Phoenix Splash and hit the Nova Roller for the deciding fall.
This was by far the best Heritage Cup match since the championship was reintroduced in NXT. This was a dramatic showcase of the Rounds format that ended where Dar worked smarter than his opponent to become the first-ever three-time Heritage Cup winner.
It is a shame that one of the falls happened during the commercial break as the complete experience would have stolen the show at a premium live event.
When The Scottish Supernova arrived in NXT with his Heritage Cup, nothing was clicking. The introduction of Meta-Four coupled with him losing the Cup changed everything. This whole story has come together in beautiful harmony.
While Frazer is great and could have run with the Cup longer, Dar has defined the championship. The former champion will rebound while Meta-Four dominated in the Rounds format.
Result
Dar def. Frazer by pinfall 2-1 to become the new Heritage Cup champion.
Grade
A
Notable Moments
- Frazer asked for Bate to work as his second backstage before the match.
- During the commercial break, in the second round, Dabba-Kato chokeslammed Bate onto the apron. The distraction allowed Dar to roll up Frazer for the first fall.
- Frazer nearly got a fall with a suicide dive, a springboard reverse DDT and standing moonsault. Time expired, and Dar caught Frazer with a cheap shot after the bell.
- The Heritage Cup champion grabbed his first fall off a superplex into the Final Cut in the fourth round.
- Lash Legend grabbed the leg of Frazer to save The Scottish Supernova from a pinfall after a diving cannonball to the floor in the fifth round.
- In the sixth, Dar reversed the springboard reverse DDT into a kneebar.
- Later, Meta-Four found out Dar's next challenger would be determined in an eight-man tournament called the NXT Global Invitational.
Tiffany Stratton Meets Her Future Challengers
4 OF 8
Tiffany Stratton talked about herself until Gigi Dolin, Kiana James, Blair Davenport and Roxanne Perez laid claim to an NXT Women's Championship shot. The Prodigy caught The Center of the Universe with a right hand before a brawl broke out.
While NXT has done well in highlighting the women's division, very few in the division have stepped up as top talkers. This was painfully obvious in a segment where no one stood out, trying to sell their shot at the top title.
This did help Perez's case though in the end as she spoke the least to make the most impact. Clearly, she is the right woman to face Stratton at No Mercy.
The match will be much better than the promos, but Stratton and Perez especially need to step up on the mic before they can take the final step to main roster contention.
Grade
D+
Notable Moments
- Stratton promised to be a better NXT women's champion than Bayley, Asuka, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair. The Man was never an NXT women's champion.
- Stratton later corrected her mistake about Lynch as a former NXT champion before announcing a No. 1 contender Fatal 4-Way match for next week.
- Lynch responded to Stratton on Twitter, setting up a potential huge appearance in the future by The Man.
- Drew Gulak and Charlie Dempsey continued to abuse Myles Borne during their training sessions.
Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio vs. Lyra Valkyria and Dragon Lee
5 OF 8
While Lyra Valkyria challenged Rhea Ripley throughout, it took a surprise appearance from Raquel Rodriguez to take The Eradicator out. This allowed Dragon Lee to pin Dominik Mysterio off a tilt-a-whirl reverse DDT.
Every second of Ripley vs. Valkyria in this match was must-watch. The two have impeccable chemistry. The Eradicator always stays in motion in the ring, and it makes even a basic leg lock sequence memorable.
There were also some very fun sequences here between Dirty Dom and Dragon, especially down the stretch. The transitions to the men wrestling though were awkward and kept this from being even better.
This win sets up Dragon to challenge again for the North American Championship, though Mustafa Ali also waits in the wings. That title scene is loaded with talent to watch.
Result
Lee and Valkyria def. Mysterio and Ripley by pinfall.
Grade
B
Notable Moments
- In a private locker room, Mustafa Ali warned Dirty Dom that he was next up to challenge for the North American Championship.
- Valkyria rocked Ripley with a series of kicks, and when The Eradicator tried to powerbomb her, The Valkyrie nearly caught her with a roll-up.
Baron Corbin vs. Von Wagner (w/ Mr. Stone)
6 OF 8
This match never truly got going as a brawl broke out beforehand. Baron Corbin threatened Mr. Stone, but Von Wagner saved him. Before he could send Corbin through the announce table, Bron Breakker Speared him.
NXT had a chance to do something big with Wagner. Instead, the company decided not to have the scheduled match. While the stage has been set for a bigger moment down the line, it is odd to waste an announced match for a titled show like Heatwave.
Breakker and Corbin together could be very interesting. It may be a dynamic that could help them both translate quickly to the main roster.
This will require Wagner to find a friend. It would be a major mistake to assume Gable Steveson will get cheered in that situation. He may just ruin the good will that Wagner has built. However, Wagner could benefit from finding a new tag team partner.
Result
The bell never rang for Corbin vs. Wagner.
Grade
D
Notable Moments
- Corbin and Breakker looked like common allies at the end of this.
- Backstage, Jacy Jayne bonded with Thea Hail over their shared frustration with people letting them down.
- Dijak warned Eddy Thorpe that the next meeting would break Thorpe's spirit.
NXT Championship: Carmelo Hayes (c) vs. Wes Lee
7 OF 8
Wes Lee fought hard, but he got too aggressive. He missed a suicide dive and collided with the barricade. When he barely made it back to the ring, Carmelo Hayes met him with Nothin' But Net to retain.
This had high potential, but this was heavily abbreviated. Melo and Lee barely got going before the finishing sequence came in. With the history between these two, it would have made sense to give them another 10 minutes.
On a night of hot performances, this was one of the weaker matches. While it was far from bad, it was a letdown based on potential. A future match can be much better than this. Hopefully, Lee will get that chance.
The finish was clunky but sold the experience of Melo overcoming the pure emotion of Lee. The challenger will need to go back to the drawing board and find the way to outsmart The A Champion as well as outperform him.
Result
Melo def. Lee by pinfall to retain the NXT Championship.
Grade
C+
Notable Moments
- Trick found Melo in the locker room and wished him luck. There was some tension over The A Champion blaming Trick for getting involved in his last title defense.
- The A Champion sent Lee through the announce table with a springboard reverse DDT. He then went for Nothin' But Net, but Lee ducked and hit a Cardiac Kick. Melo rolled outside to escape the pinfall.
Overall Show
8 OF 8
Going into the night, all signs pointed to the main event far outshining the rest of the card. The opposite happened.
Trick Williams vs. Ilja Dragunov, Nathan Frazer vs. Noam Dar, Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio vs. Lyra Valkyria and Dragon Lee were all significantly better than the main event.
That is a major testament to the talent, elevating matches that has solid builds but were not nearly as flashy on paper. Everyone worked hard to elevate each other and set the stage for many exciting matches to come.
This show was a letdown for the women's division. It has taken too long to establish the next challenger for Tiffany Stratton, and the only match on the card featuring only women did not last three minutes.
Next week, the spotlight should be back on the women though with an exciting triple threat. In fact, the entire card promised from The Creed Brothers vs. The Dyad to Dijak vs. Eddy Thorpe could outshine Heatwave.
It was a solid night of action, elevating multiple stars, but failing to land on the main event held this night back from feeling truly special.
