WWE NXT Grades (April 1, 2020): Shotzi Blackheart impresses despite loss; huge triple-threat main-event steals the show

As WWE inches closer to WrestleMania, we got to witness the go-home show of WWE NXT on this week's episode. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, all WWE shows have been taking place inside the Performance Center in Orlando, FL with no live audience, which includes NXT too. WrestleMania 36 will also emanate from the same venue this weekend.

NXT TakeOver: Tampa Bay, which was supposed to take place on Saturday, April 4 has been postponed but the matches that were supposed to take place on the card will continue to take place on the coming episodes of the Black and Gold brand.

On the April 1 episode of NXT, we got to witness five matches, including a Championship bout and a match to determine the final entrant for the No. 1 contender's ladder match for the NXT Women's Championship. So, without further ado, we will present our readers with the analysis of each match that took place, and the matches have also been graded based on their overall quality.

#1 The Velveteen Dream vs Bobby Fish

After returning from injury, The Velveteen Dream has set his sights on Adam Cole's NXT Championship, who also recently surpassed former champion Finn Balor's record reign and is now the longest-reigning NXT Champion of all time. However, the leader of the Undisputed Era has laid down a challenge for Dream.

Cole has challenged Dream to face all the other three members of the Era before he can get a shot at his title. After defeating Roderick Strong on last week's episode, The Vainglorious One took on Bobby Fish this week.

Fish did pose as a worthy opponent to Dream but he managed to overcome the obstacles and beat Fish. The former NXT Tag Team Champion began the match by trying to keep Dream down on the mat so that he could lock him on his ground-based submission maneuvers.

However, The Sartorial Superstar kept breaking out of Fish's hold and pinning attempts. Finally, Dream managed to put away Fish by dropping him with the Dream Valley Driver to get the three-count for the win.

Results: Velveteen Dream defeated Bobby Fish via pinfall

Grades: B+

#2 Dexter Lumis vs Jake Atlas

Two debutants, Dexter Lumis and Jake Atlas squared off against each other in their first appearance for the Black and Gold brand. Lumis, who is known for his work as Samuel Shaw when he competed for Impact Wrestling, was the first one to land an offense on Atlas by dodging his charge and nailing him with a Spinebuster.

Atlas rallied back with a dropkick that dropped Lumis on the mat but as Atlas ran the ropes to mount another offense, Lumis caught him and hung him on the middle-rope in an upside-down position. Lumis then followed that up by rocking Atlas on the jaw with a baseball slide.

Lumis then followed it with a big neckbreaker for a near fall. Atlas kicked out and proceeded to attack Lumis with a flurry of strikes. Lumis blocked it and dropped Atlas with a sideslam after which he applied a choke submission on Atlas to get the submission win.

Both Superstars put on an impressive performance on their debut match and it was ultimately Lumis who got the victory. Even though Atlas lost, he showed promise and most likely will make his mark sooner rather than later.

Results: Dexter Lumis defeated Jake Atlas via submission

Grades: B

#3 Shotzi Blackheart vs Deonna Purrazzo vs Xia Li vs Aliyah vs Kayden Carter vs Dakota Kai [Second Chance Gauntlet match]

Dakota Kai with the chin lock on Shotzi Blackheart

Six ladies of NXT competed in a gauntlet match to determine the final entrant for next week's six-woman Ladder Match that will crown a new No. 1 contender for the NXT Women's Championship. This was a second chance for all the Superstars involved as they had previously failed to qualify for the ladder match during the qualifier rounds.

The match began with Shotzi Blackheart and Deonna Purrazzo where after a back-and-forth brawl, Blackheart hit Purrazzo with a flying senton and covered her for the three-count. She got the pinfall and eliminated The Virtuosa to advance.

Blackheart's next opponent was Xia Li who came in strong and ducked her strikes to take down Blackheart during the start of the match with a dropkick. It looked like Li would put away Shotzi, but she came back strong and cinched in a unique submission hold on Li to tap her out.

With two Superstars eliminated, Blackheart's next opponent was Aliyah who got eliminated by the same submission move that Blackheart used to eliminate Li after butting heads for a while. Blackheart's next opponent was Kayden Carter who immediately went after her and nailed a dropkick to get a near fall.

After a quick and intense battle, Blackheart hit Carter with a moonsault to get the pin. The last opponent to come out was Dakota Kai along with her ally Raquel Gonzalez who took advantage of the battle-worn Blackheart with some quick early offense.

However, Blackheart was determined to persevere and come out as the winner but Kai distracted the referee which allowed Gonzalez, who was outside the ring, to get some cheap shots on Blackheart. Shotzi was successful in countering a second cheap shot as she sent Gonzalez into the steel steps.

But, as soon as she got inside the ring, Blackheart got nailed by Kai with a huge kick to the face who then covered her to get the win and advance to the No. 1 contender's match. Although Kai earned her moment by coming in at the last moment. Props should be given to Blackheart who delivered an epic performance by persevering till the end.

Results: Dakota Kai won by lastly eliminating Shotzi Blackheart

Grades: A

#4 Kushida vs Joaquin Wilde

Joaquin Wilde with the armlock on Kushida

The former IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Kushida took on former Impact Wrestling X-Division Champion Joaquin Wilde. In a face-off of the cruiserweights, both Superstars fought an intense battle.

The match began with both men trading holds in the middle of the ring with Wilde getting the better of Kushida by nailing him with a head scissors takedown to lock in an armlock. Kushida was not one to stay down as he countered the move and rallied back with some unique aerial offenses.

Wilde nearly got a pinfall over Kushida which annoyed him as he argued with the referee over the count. A frustrated Wilde then began unloading on Kushida with kicks in the corner and was ultimately warned to back off by the referee.

Kushida countered by nailing a stiff kick on Wilde's arm and dropped him in the middle of the ring to lock in the armbar which made Wilde tap out and gave Kushida the victory. After the match, Kushida offered a handshake Wilde as a sign of sportsmanship which Wilde accepted.

Results: Kushida defeated Joaquin Wilde via submission

Grades: B

#5 Keith Lee (c) vs Dominik Dijakovic vs Damian Priest [NXT North American Championship match]

Keith Lee picks up an impressive victory

NXT North American Champion Keith Lee defended his title against Dominik Dijakovic and Damian Priest in a triple threat match on the main event of this episode. Tensions have been flaring between Dijakovic and Lee ever since Lee took out Djakovic two weeks back with a Spirit Bomb after mistaking him as his attacker when it was Priest who actually attacked Lee.

The match began with Priest's kick getting countered by Lee who caught him and tossed him at Dijakovic. The match went on for a couple of minutes with each Superstar mounting offense on one another and getting their pinfall attempts broken by the other.

In an epic moment in the match, Lee powerbombed Priest on Dijakovic's back four times before dropping The Archer of Infamy with the Spirit Bomb. However, his pin was broken at two by Dijakovic.

Towards the end, Priest snuck in a nightstick which caught the attention of the referee who warned him to not use it. He tried to hit Dijakovic with it but the latter countered it and tried to hit Priest with the Feast Your Eyes.

Lee then sent Priest crashing to the outside of the ring and turned around to hit Dijakovic with the Big Bang Catastrophe. The Limitless One covered him to get the win and retained his title.

Results: Keith Lee defeated Dominik Dijakovic and Damian Priest

Grades: A+

Edited by Zaid Khan