WWE NXT 2.0 Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from May 17

In the build toward NXT In Your House 2022, WWE NXT 2.0 needed to first settle some long-standing standing disputes during its May 17 show.

Tony D'Angelo would finally meet Santos Escobar one on one in the ring to settle their power dispute. The Creed Brothers were set to face The Viking Raiders in a rematch after their tainted win two weeks back.

Cameron Grimes and Solo Sikoa needed to work together in a tag team clash against Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams. The NXT Women's Breakout Tournament would continue with matches including Roxanne Perez and Lash Legend.

Bron Breakker was expected to respond to Joe Gacy while Toxic Attraction still awaited new challengers for the NXT women's championships.

This show had potential to use the strongest foundations of the roster to put on a great show.

Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams talked up The A Champion ahead of this match. Cameron Grimes and Solo Sikoa worked well together early, even while they tried to one-up each other.

Grimes took out Trick with the Cave-In while his partner hit a diving splash for the win. Afterward, the Samoan Superstar held the NXT North American Championship a little too long before handing it to the champion.

This was a fine opener with a lot of talent involved. The pacing was flat, ending right as the contest picked up. However, Grimes and Sikoa both have enough chemistry to make this work.

It was odd to book Melo in a loss just weeks before he fights Grimes for the championship. NXT seems to be less concerned about protecting since he lost the title. While it means more for Sikoa to pin The A Champion, it did not feel necessary in the end.

Grade

B

Notable Moments

• Melo hit Sikoa with an enzuigiri from the apron to set up Trick for a twisting neckbreaker.
• Melo caught Grimes with a springboard clothesline but ran right into a uranage from Sikoa.
• In an interview, Pretty Deadly refused to be afraid of The Creed Brothers.

Tatum Paxley tried to show off her strength, but Lash Legend was just too big for her. After Paxley failed in her third attempt to hit her with an electric chair drop, Legend planted her off a bicycle kick for the win.

Paxley has been impressing recently with her in-ring motor and strength, but she could only do so much against Legend. It was a match that never really got going because Legend did not sell well for her opponent.

It was inevitable that Legend would win here. However, she is going to need to step up in a major way against an opponent at the level of Roxanne Perez. She did not look like she could even keep up with Paxley though.

Grade

D

Notable Moments

• Before the match, Paxley put herself over as the strongest woman in the match.
• Paxley hit a standing corkscrew senton for a nearfall.
• Thea Hail announced her signing with WWE while her training material was shown.

Bron Breakker stomped to the ring and refused Joe Gacy's invitation. He promised to knock him unconscious when they fought again. Gacy appeared on the stage with his two disciples.

Gacy offered a rematch to the NXT champion but only if the champion agreed to the stipulation where he would lose his gold if he was disqualified. Breakker agreed to the match for NXT In Your House.

Breakker has never been disqualified throughout his career in NXT 2.0. He last defeated Gacy clean, and the only story building this rematch was done off screen. All of this makes it difficult to get excited about this rematch. A Last Man Standing or Falls Count Anywhere match would have made more sense.

NXT has not done anything right in selling this story. The talent are trying their best. Breakker is cutting angry promos like a true Steiner, and Gacy is constantly creepy. They can massively improve upon their first match with more time, even with lackluster story.

Grade

C-

Notable Moments

• Breakker stomped right through a Duke Hudson promo on his way to the ring. Later, Hudson interrupted the champion in the parking lot, challenging him to a match next week.
• Backstage, Indi Hartwell called her shot at Mandy Rose and the NXT Women's Championship.
• Toxic Attraction watched a video of Katana Chance and Kayden Carter talking bad about them before Rose arrived. The stable promised to silence all their doubters.

The Creed Brothers matched The Viking Raiders power for power. Both teams nearly took the win throughout, but Roderick Strong and Damon Kemp got involved before a winner was decided.

Julius Creed was distracted by trying to get Strong out of the way, leaving him vulnerable for a double powerbomb that sealed The Raiders' win. Julius and Brutus Creed argued with Strong and Kemp after the bell.

The Raiders are so good, and it has been far too long since WWE has showcased their talent. The Creeds tried a little too hard to keep up, which led to some sloppy sequences. There was a potential injury scare off the Brutus Bomb, but luckily the 26-year-old star is resilient.

This was still much better than their first match. The sequences were more fluid, cleaning up the miscommunications to create a higher energy clash. The finish also made sense, not taking away from the mystique of the main roster tag team.

The Creeds are the definitive Diamond Mine members, and it would be a shame to take them away from that brand. It would be better to have them take that stable away from Strong in the eventual break-up.

Grade

B+

Notable Moments

• Brutus lifted Ivar up to the top rope for Julius to hit a dropkick then sent The Viking Raider to the floor followed by a Brutus Bomb to both opponents.
• Brutus lifted Erik to set up Julius for a running knee before he hit a spinebuster.
• Ivar nearly won off a second rope falling powerslam then missed a top rope splash, which allowed Julius to roll him up for a nearfall.

Before the match, Grayson Waller promised to punish Andre Chase for Tiffany Stratton. Andre Chase rolled over Waller until he got distracted when he accidentally threw Waller onto Bodhi Hayward. Waller caught him returning to the ring with a cutter to win.

This was not as entertaining as last week's mixed tag. It just felt too formulaic. Chase has struggled repeatedly to build himself as relevant, yet he keeps losing the same way to every opponent.

Waller should not have needed a distraction to beat Chase. He was a title contender not that long ago. This needs to be about giving him wins until he is ready to go after gold again.

Grade

D+

Notable Moments

• Sarray took on the role of honorary flag bearer for Chase U during the match.
• Chase slingshot Waller into the top turnubckle. He followed up with an Atomic Drop, Russian leg sweep and series of stomps.

Kiana James took advantage of her size advantage against Roxanne Perez, throwing her around and locking her in submission holds. However, Perez caught her out of the corner with Pop Rox for the win.

This was easily the best match of the first round. While that was not a high bar, James looked good against Perez. It was a very strong sell by the winner that made her opponent look dangerous.

The right woman obviously won. Every single contest has gone exactly as expected to date. However, the semifinals should be much more unpredictable with more established women involved.

Grade

B

Notable Moments

• James went for a Boston crab, but Perez threw her off. James responded with stomps to the chest before locking in the Boston crab.
• Backstage, Cora Jade put over Perez as a good friend and competitor, but Elektra Lopez interrupted to mock them both.

Wes Lee was angry backstage because Xyon Quinn was not cleared to wrestle. Nathan Frazer wanted a match as well, so he challenged Lee.

The two matched each other move for move throughout, but neither could pick up the win. Von Wagner interrupted the action, causing a no contest. He then thew Lee over the top rope onto the announce table.

This was easily the smoothest action of the night before the unnecessary non-finish. Wagner could have easily let them finish before inserting himself in the action. Before that, Lee and Frazer were putting on a show with a wild cruiserweight clash where neither would let up.

Wagner is involved in too many stories at the moment. He is not a big enough act to sustain rivalries with Ikemen Jiro, Brooks Jensen, Josh Briggs, Lee and Frazer, but it seems NXT is entirely focused on him destroying everyone.

Grade

B-

Notable Moments

• Lee sent Frazer to the apron then bounced the top rope into his face to set up a springboard crossbody. Frazer answered right back with a suicide dive.
• Frazer caught Lee on the top rope with an enzuigiri but found himself trapped under the weight of Lee for a nearfall after both crashed off the top.
• In catering, Sanga tried to complement Lee and Frazer, but Lee took exception to his words and challenged him.

Santos Escobar and Tony D'Angelo walked out alone, leaving their crews behind. However, as Tony D tried to find his crowbar, Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro arrived with his weapon of choice. A fight broke out outside the ring while The Emperor planted The Don with a brass knuckle punch to win.

While this single match felt a bit rushed, it was certainly worthy of a main event spot, selling the magnitude of the story built. Escobar has proved consistently that he does not need gold to be successful, feeling like a star here.

In fact, both men worked this like a top heavyweight clash. It was less about the action as much as the story. The two certainly have better in them, but the first match kept this story going. The right man won as Escobar picked up some needed momentum in cheap fashion.

Grade

B

Notable Moments

• In a pre-taped video, D'Angelo told his boys he would defeat Escobar on his own. The Emperor agreed that he would come out to the ring alone.
• Malik Blade and Edris Enofe mocked Tony D and Escobar's over-the-top rivalry until Stacks and Two Dimes arrived to challenge them for a match next week.
• The Don hit a series of side suplexes onto the mat that winded Escobar.
• Escobar caught D'Angelo with a Frankensteiner to stay in the contest.