NXT Heatwave 2024 Preview, Predictions And Thoughts

We’re already back to another big time NXT show and in this case the card is feeling a bit weak. There are some big names on here but it’s not exactly looking like a great card. It’s also coming at the end of the big WWE weekend in the same venue and that could be a problem for the fans. Hopefully the wrestlers can overcome the issue so let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Karmen Petrovic/Arianna Grace vs. Jacy Jayne/Jazmyn Nyx

This was added at the last minute this week on NXT and it makes for a perfectly fine choice for a warm up match. Grace and Petrovic are your latest oddball team, while Jayne and Nyx are the resident midcard villains. That should make for a good enough match as Nyx and Jayne are rather annoying together and Grace if agreeing to help Petrovic because….well because Grace doesn’t get it a lot of the time.

I’ll go with Petrovic and Grace to win here, as NXT certainly loves its random pairings who wind up being good together. Jayne and Nyx are the kind of team who can bounce back after a loss without much trouble and they very well may have to do it again here. The match isn’t likely going to be anything special, but for a glorified tV match, it should be perfectly acceptable.

North American Title: Oba Femi(c) vs. Wes Lee

This is the David vs. Goliath match as you have the monster Femi defending against Lee, who isn’t exactly a big guy in the first place but has the big heart to fight for his title. That’s a story that has worked forever in wrestling and always will. Lee is going to have some fans behind him and if they can get into his near falls and hope spots, we could be in for a heck of a reception.

I can’t see a way Femi loses the title here, as there isn’t much of a reason for Lee to get the belt back. He’s already held it for such a long time and having him beat Femi would seem rather counterproductive. Go with what makes sense here, which is having Femi win by mostly destroying Lee in the end. It has the potential to be fun, but Femi needs to hold onto the title.

Women’s North American Title: Kelani Jordan(c) vs. Sol Ruda

The title is still pretty much brand new and there is only so much that you can get out of a title that has only been defended so many times. Jordan winning the title via a ladder match is still working against her as she is still trying to show just how good she is. Another win might help that, but I’m not sure if this is going to be a big enough opponent to make that happen.

I’ll go with Jordan retaining here, as Ruca is an athletic marvel, but she’ll be popular for a long time due to the cool finisher with the Sol Snatcher. Jordan feels like ore of a long term project and having her win here would be a bit of a boost. NXT is going to need to work to really establish the title and that is going to take time, along with a string of wins. Jordan can add to that here.

Tag Team Titles: Axiom/Nathan Frazer(c) vs. Chase U

This is a story of two teams who aren’t in the best places at the moment. Axiom and Frazer are arguing over whether or not they should focus on being a team or on Frazer’s singles career. At the same time, Chase U is having to deal with cheating from Ridge Holland, who is not allowed to be around for the match. That makes for a complicated situation for the titles, which could make the ending a bit more clear.

I’ll take the champions to retain here, as it feels like they need a win to keep things going well while Chase U will have issues without the cheating being around. I’m not sure if that makes a ton of sense, but it should make enough sense for what we have here. The match itself should be good and while I’d love to see Chase U winning the titles back, I don’t think I can see it happening here.

Women’s Title: Roxanne Perez(c) vs. Lola Vice

This was set up by a rather emotional speech from Vice, which is odd as she has been incredibly cocky in the previous weeks. Vince has talked about wanting to do this or her mother and her heritage, which is one of those things that should make for a layup win, though it isn’t like Vice needed that in the first place. Perez is a rather awesome champion, but I’m not sure if that is enough.

In this case, I’ll go with it being enough for Vice, who seems to be the perfect choice for the next big star in the division. Perez has already shown how good she is and there is little reason for her to hold onto the title. Vice’s emotional speech should be enough to get her there, as NXT has certainly built her up for the last few months and that should be a sign that she is getting the big win.

NXT Title: Trick Williams(c) vs. Shawn Spears vs. Ethan Page vs. Je’Von Evans

While this match is the main event and certainly has a lot of people involved, I’m not sure if I would call it a match that feels big. It really comes off as Williams defending against three people who happen to be in the match with him rather than great challengers. He’s already beaten Page so there isn’t even much drama in one of the three. That makes for a bit of an issue and it also should lead to the obvious.

As you might have guessed, I’ll take Williams to retain here, as I can’t imagine any real reason for him to lose the title. Williams is the biggest star in the promotion and there is no reason to take the title from him right now. While I’d like to believe there is a chance that NXT could lose their minds and give Evans the title so soon, it feels like it should be Williams winning in what would be the right move.

Overall Thoughts

I wasn’t overly interested in this card when I started looking at the whole thing and that isn’t much better now. It just isn’t that interesting of a show and while it could still very well wind up working out, it feels like a show that is there because it has to be. Maybe they will outperform their hype (it certainly wouldn’t be the first time) but this isn’t one of their strongest efforts, at least on the way in.