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NXT is far and away the best weekly product that WWE produces. SmackDown and NXT UK both deliver on a weekly basis, of course, but the original Black and Gold Brand is easily the best wrestling show WWE gives its fans. Today, we'll be checking out the best match-ups to be seen from the men's NXT roster on free TV.
Before we get started, there's a special rule. Though it was shown on TV, TakeOver: Stand & Deliver Night One matches will not appear on this list. We're speaking strictly about regular NXT TV episodes. However, if those did count, WALTER vs Tommaso Ciampa would be number one on this list. That was a banger.
Without further ado, let's kick off this list of best men's NXT TV matches so far. We're starting off with the NXT Champion himself, Karrion Kross.
Honorable mentions go to:
- Oney Lorcan vs Kyle O'Reilly
- Leon Ruff vs Isaiah "Swerve" Scott
- NXT Cruiserweight Championship: Santos Escobar vs Kushida 2 out of 3 Falls
- NXT North American Championship: Bronson Reed vs Johnny Gargano in a Steel Cage
#5 Karrion Kross vs Santos Escobar in a No DQ Match - NXT February 24th, 2021
There's no better way to put over a monster force on your roster than to have him tear through three impressive wrestlers at once. Though this was booked as a singles No DQ match, Kross would have to deal with all of Legado Del Fantasma.
For some reason, Santos Escobar felt it was a great idea to poke the living embodiment of pain that is Karrion Kross. Week in and week out, Escobar and the rest of Legado Del Fantasma mocked Koss for having a short title reign. Escobar claimed he had the money, the girl, the cars, but when it was time to deliver his body couldn't hold up.
Well, to quote The Simpsons, "Them's fightin' words." Kross ran through Damian Priest before finally targeting Legado Del Fantasma, setting up the greatest free a** kicking you'd find on TV.
Santos Escobar locked himself in a production truck, but couldn't escape the Harbinger of Doomsday, who used a pickaxe to try and pry the door off. Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza were rocketed into the truck, but ultimately the numbers game was a bit too much. Legado Del Fantasma dragged Karrion Kross into the Capital Wrestling Center, which was probably their biggest mistake.
Kross got a second wind once they entered the CWC, launching Santos Escobar's lackeys THROUGH the plexiglass barricade. Before Santos could pick his jaw up off the floor, Kross was on him like a wild animal. Throughout the match, Legado Del Fantasma had to save the then NXT Cruiserweight Champion several times over.
Eventually, Kross eliminated Legado Del Fantasma from the equation and delivered Santos through the announcer's desk with a Doomsday Saito. A second Saito dumped him on his head in the ring, and the future NXT Champion finished Santos with what we'll call the Doomsday Elbow.
#4 Grizzled Young Veterans vs Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher NXT in the Dusty Cup Semi-Finals - NXT February 10th, 2021
If you read my reviews of NXT, IMPACT Wrestling, and occasionally AEW, you probably know this about me. I. Love. Tag. Team. Wrestling. Vinnie Mac and the WWE main roster may hate it, but I can't get enough of it. Whenever NXT brings out the good ol' Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, Dusty Cup for short, I go bananas.
So when the hidden gem of NXT UK, the Grizzled Young Veterans, made their return stateside for the Dusty Cup, I was ecstatic. The same goes for the WWE Universe, who have recognized their ability, even if they can't stand Zack Gibson.
They ran through Ever-Rise (miss you boys) before knocking off Kushida and Leon Ruff, winning both matches in under ten minutes. However, when they got to the semis, they ran into makeshift mayhem in the form of Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher.
After a feud that saw both Ciampa and Thatcher tear each other limb from limb, they realized something. They quite like beating people up, so why not do it together? Just in time for the Dusty Cup! What followed was one of the most brutal NXT matches of the year. TV, TakeOver, what have you, this was a war.
Fists were flying, like anything involving the Psycho Killer Tommaso Ciampa usually is. However, he was in a match with three other men known for similar styles. Unfortunately for Ciampa and Thatcher, the Grizzled Young Veterans were a well-oiled machine.
Though Thatcher avoided the Doomsday Device, Ciampa wasn't so lucky. Gibson saved partner James Drake from the Willow's Bell, allowing the Veterans to put the former NXT Champion away with the Ticket to Mayhem.
The former NXT UK Tag Champs were on their way to the finals. But who would they face?
#3 MSK vs Legado Del Fantasma in the Dusty Cup Semi-finals - NXT February 10th, 2021
I tried to limit how many of the NXT Dusty Cup matches I put in here simply because, if I didn't, this list would include four of those. Seriously, The Undisputed Era vs Breezango (We miss you already) was a classic and it was in the opening round. However, the semi-finals this year were just phenomenal.
As previously mentioned, Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher vs the Grizzled Young Vets was a banger. Lucha House Party's two showdowns with Imperium and Legado Del Fantasma? Belters. We even got The Undisputed Era against Ciampa and Toothless Timmy as a quarter-final match-up. That whole tournament is just fantastic, and there's a reason why when WWE does a tournament it gets fans excited.
The Mae Young Classic, the Cruiserweight Classic, all the Dusty Cups, the NXT UK Championship Tournament, they're all phenomenal. When WWE announced this latest Dusty Cup and revealed a "mystery team" going by MSK, many fans already had an idea of what to expect. IMPACT Wrestling viewers knew that the company had lost, arguably, the best tag team on their roster in The Rascalz.
Dezmond Xavier and Zachary Wentz were then quickly signed to NXT, and the company gave them the green light. They debuted in a great opening round contest against Jake Atlas and Isaiah "Swerve" Scott. They knocked off fan favorites Drake Maverick and Killian Dain in the quarter-finals, which might explain why the CWC hates them so much.
Then on February 10th on NXT, MSK ran into one of the two favorites of the tournament, Legado Del Fantasma. And folks...it was fantastic. Both of these teams are known for their quick pace and high-flying, and they pulled out all the stops on free television.
Legado Del Fantasma felt it was their destiny to win the NXT Dusty Cup and go on to win the tag titles. They weren't about to let some flash in the pan newbies ruin their goals. The match shifted control between the two teams, and as time raced on, so did the pace.
Raul Mendoza managed to launch his tag partner Joaquin Wilde up for a pop-up missile dropkick that sent Nash Carter flying into the barricade. It was a nasty shot, and it got a standing ovation from my house.
In the end, after an action-packed ten minutes, MSK managed to hit the Hot Fire Flame and a blockbuster/spinebuster to put away Legado Del Fantasma. It was everything one could've wanted out of these two teams, and they've only built on this feud since.
Whether Wilde and Mendoza are out of the NXT Tag Title picture for a while or not, we know that when the time comes, they'll have another classic with MSK.
#2 Finn Balor vs Karrion Kross for the NXT Championship - NXT May 25th, 2021
At NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver Night 2, Finn Balor lost his NXT Championship to Karrion Kross. That being said, he had Kross in more danger than the man had been in since joining the roster in 2020.
The Prince chopped Kross to pieces and had fans believing he'd walk away still champion after WrestleMania weekend. However, no matter where the time is told, in the end, everybody pays the toll.
Kross did put Balor away at Stand & Deliver, but it wasn't long before Balor wanted his rematch. Kross, a man always looking for the best fight, happily accepted.
We got the rematch on May 25th, and this time around Karrion Kross was prepared for Finn Balor. It seemed that no matter what Balor did, the new NXT Champion was able to shrug it off.
Easily breaking an STF and standing straight up out of an armbar, Kross slammed Balor into the mat before picking apart the former top star. He tore into Finn Balor. Every single shot could've been a match ender, and all the while Scarlett was hyping the champion up.
Of course, it wasn't a one-sided affair. Balor was able to counter and catch Kross on several occasions, hitting his jumping double stomp and even a running punt off the apron that almost knocked Kross's head into the third row.
Still, nothing Balor did ever fully turned the match in his favor. Balor escaped a Kross Jacket only to be driven into the barricade with a Razor's Edge.
That was the story of the match, honestly. Balor always showed signs of life in this NXT main event, but could never build up enough steam to put Kross in much danger. Aside from a sleeper hold, it never seemed that Kross was close to losing the NXT Championship.
In the end, Balor passed out as Kross locked in the Kross Jacket.
Kross ran through Balor, and at NXT TakeOver: In Your House, he beat Adam Cole, Johnny Gargano, Kyle O'Reilly, and Pete Dunne in one match. Who, at this point, can beat Kross?
#1 Kyle O'Reilly vs Kushida - NXT June 22nd, 2021
On the most recent episode of NXT, Kyle O'Reilly and Kushida pulled out one of the best TV matches of the year. That's exactly what fans were hoping for. The two technicians with great striking abilities were evenly matched.
Fans of both men prior to their time in NXT would know that they'd met several times before, and knew they were in for a treat. After William Regal told Kyle O'Reilly to pick an opponent, O'Reilly went right to Kushida, setting up this mat classic.
Both men traded early submission attempts, with Kushida trying to synch in his Hoverboard Lock several times. O'Reilly was able to, not only escape but also transition into a heel hook.
Kushida targeted O'Reilly's arm with several armbreakers and stiff kicks, leaving it black and blue throughout the match. The two tore the house down, going between their mat game and hammering one another with hellacious strikes.
In the end, O'Reilly was without a doubt more banged up. Kushida'd worn down his arm severely, and it seemed that the former NXT Tag Champion was one for. Though he couldn't break another Hoverboard Lock by getting to the ropes, he instead caught Kushida in a quick pin attempt to secure the victory.
It was a master class in pro wrestling, as two of the most gifted athletes in NXT took one another to the limit in an exciting main event.
