5 Things WWE got right at the NXT Great American Bash (Night 1)

The Great American Bash made a return to the WWE Network and took over WWE NXT instead of RAW or SmackDown this year. The event is set to be divided into two nights, and night one took our breath away this week as it featured some high-profile matches.

Mia Yim, Candice LeRae, Tegan Nox, and Dakota Kai were set to compete in a Fatal 4-Way Elimination Match for a chance to become the No.1 contender for the NXT Women’s Championship. Timothy Thatcher made his in-ring return on this week’s show as he answered Oney Lorcan’s challenge.

Sasha Banks returned to NXT to make another statement as she took on NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai in the main event of the night, in what was a dream match for many fans.

Roderick Strong faced his fears as he took on Dexter Lumis in NXT's first-ever Strap Match, while Rhea Ripley competed in a handicap match against Robert Stone and Aliyah.

This week’s show provided non-stop action and some big backstage segments too to ensure that fans get ready for night two of the Great American Bash next week.

In this article, we will look at the 5 things WWE NXT got right at the Great American Bash Night 1.

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#5 Timothy Thatcher’s ruthlessness

Oney Lorcan had been looking for a match against Timothy Thatcher for a while and he got exactly that this week at the NXT Great American Bash. This was Thatcher’s first match since defeating Matt Riddle in the Fight Pit and sending him packing out of WWE NXT.

Lorcan was the perfect match for Thatcher’s style in the ring as both men got extremely physical, with Thatcher trying to rip off Lorcan’s right arm.

Even though Thatcher threw everything he could at Lorcan, the challenger kept getting back up and coming for more to show that he was no less of a fighter than WWE’s newest hard-hitter.

After a great contest, Timothy Thatcher was able to catch Lorcan and lock him in the Fujiwara Armbar to make him tap out and pick up the victory. The heel was extremely proud of what he’d done to Lorcan and showed no mercy throughout the battle.

Thatcher looks ready for a major run on WWE NXT

This was a fun match and we’re glad WWE picked Lorcan to take on Thatcher after his great match against The Original Bro. It kept the energy and momentum going and did not waste Thatcher’s time on an enhancement talent.

Had the brand built up this match a little bit more and taken it to Night 2 of the NXT Great American Bash, it could have had an even better ending.

To me, Lorcan turned out to be the bigger star at the end of the night even though he ended up on the losing side.

#4 Breezango and Drake Maverick

After dealing a lot of damage to Drake Maverick followed by Jake Atlas over the past few weeks, Santos Escobar appeared on this week’s WWE NXT alongside Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde.

He explained that he would change the perception of Lucha Libre and was all praise for himself before Drake Maverick appeared to interrupt him.

Breezango joined Maverick to even out the odds, as the three babyfaces chased the heels away before Breezango challenged the heels to a match for night two of the NXT Great American Bash.

Breezango get a new feud following their WWE NXT Tag Team Championship match

This was a good segment that allowed the NXT Tag Team Championships hopefuls to get involved in another meaningful feud right away. Even though it would have made more sense to allow Atlas and KUSHIDA to partner up with Maverick, it looks like WWE is giving Breezango some more screen time.

Apart from this segment, other backstage segments helped set up matches for night two of the NXT Great American Bash between Mia Yim and Candice LeRae and a potential rematch between Damian Priest and Cameron Grimes. We could also see Johnny Gargano face off against Isaiah "Swerve" Scott, while the return of Mercedes Martinez to the ring was advertised too.

#3 Dexter Lumis’ threat continues

Roderick Strong was ready to face his fears in the most extreme situation as he was strapped to his tormentor, Dexter Lumis. Last week on NXT, Strong had managed to run away while Bobby Fish was caught by Lumis, but this week’s stipulation allowed him no escape.

Strong attacked Lumis before the match even started but then attempted to run away several times before being pulled back in by Lumis.

The two men fought outside the ring and Strong managed to injure Lumis on the stage before trying to pull him back to the ring.

Bobby Fish tried to help out his partner as Strong hit a running single leg dropkick to Lumis but could not manage to keep him down for the three-count. Lumis threw Strong into Fish before hitting the Uranage Slam and then locked him in the Silence with the strap wrapped around Strong’s mouth to make him tap out.

Dexter Lumis seems to be getting ready to reach the top of WWE NXT

This was a great match that allowed Lumis to grow more in NXT against Strong, who is arguably one of the top three performers of the brand. It will be interesting to see where Strong and Fish go from here, as it seems like Adam Cole has been disconnected from them for some time.

#2 The rise of Tegan Nox

The Fatal 4-Way Elimination between Mia Yim, Tegan Nox, Candice LeRae, and Dakota Kai was one of the highlights of the night and kicked off the action on the first night of the NXT Great American Bash.

All four women were looking for a chance to win and become the No. 1 contender to the NXT Women’s Championship, and none of them were ready to back down from the opportunity.

The match started with all four women going hard at each other, and Mia Yim was able to hit the Sole Food on LeRae to score the first elimination of the night.

This left Dakota Kai vulnerable as two babyfaces who have a history against her looked to take her out first. The HBIC hit Nox with the Sole Food but could not get anywhere with it as Kai rolled Yim up to get a pin and eliminate her.

It was down to the two bitter enemies and since Raquel Gonzalez had been banned from ringside, she could not help her heelish leader in the final fight. The Girl with the Shiniest Wizard took some hard hits from Kai and then hit her with the Molly-Go-Round followed by the Shiniest Wizard to pick up the victory on NXT.

WWE NXT has a new Women's challenger ready

We all know that Nox is one of the hardest workers in the business today and she did extremely well throughout the match. While most of the fans had their money on Kai winning this one, it was good to see WWE award the victory to Nox even though she’s a babyface. Matches against Io Shirai will truly help her showcase her talent.

#1 Io Shirai - The Queen of NXT

The main event of the night had a lot of expectations attached to it, as WWE NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai geared up to defend her brand and pride against one-half of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, Sasha Banks.

Shirai had sent Bayley and Banks running after their victory over Tegan Nox and Shotzi Blackheart on NXT, and this match allowed Banks to show Shirai who’s The Legit Boss.

Both women started off strong in the match and kept the action going to keep the fans on the edge of their seats. The entire WWE Universe was hoping to see a Match of the Year candidate, and both women ensured it came close to that.

Late in the match, Shirai locked Banks in a crossface, but Bayley provided the distraction by throwing in her WWE Tag Team Championship belt into the ring to distract the referee and hit the NXT Women’s Champion with a forearm.

The WWE Women's Champion may find a new challenge soon

The Joshi Judas was outnumbered until RAW Women’s Champion Asuka appeared from under the ring and sprayed green mist on The Boss, allowing Shirai to hit a moonsault and pick up the victory.

This was a good match that delivered and made Night 1 of the Great American Bash worth the wait.

WWE did a great job by having all the Women’s Champions in one place to make an impact, and Asuka helping out her fellow Japanese Superstar made sense considering the fact that Banks will take on Asuka for the RAW Women’s Championship soon.

Could WWE give us another belter of a match by booking Shirai & Asuka vs. Bayley & Banks for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships?