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Hello and welcome everyone to my weekly musings on the goings on down at WWE NXT, right here at The Wrestling Mania (© Mick Foley).
Triple H telling us what we already knew about live NXT being live on the WWE Network was no less exciting than when it was first announced. I for one, cannot wait. Massive opportunity for the NXT roster to get some new eyes on them, never a bad thing.
Speaking of opportunity, anybody spot Emma on RAW? She was only in the crowd but they did seem to intentionally show her holding a sign that said #EMMAtaining. Interesting to see where that goes.
Adrian Neville vs. Tyler Breeze – Winner: Adrian Neville
I loved when Tensai was asked about what he’d do if someone interfered in his title match. It’s been so long that he has had one of any kind that I would be surprised if he actually remembered.
The match started a little dull for me, the only highlight being Neville’s hurricanrana and subsequent flipping on and off the ropes whilst Breeze primed to pounce out on the floor.
The match picked up after the break around the tilt-a-whirl backbreaker by Neville and the dropkick by Breeze.
I just didn’t enjoy that match. To me, it lacked a certain flow. It was like it had a break in between each thing that happened and it detracted from me being drawn into it.
I was surprised Neville got the win. If the feud is over and Neville now has his retribution then that is fine. I was expecting Bo Dallas to cost Neville the match.
CJ Parker vs. Jason Jordan – Winner: CJ Parker
I’m instantly reminded why I haven’t missed CJ Parker.
I enjoyed the take-down and amateur wrestling style pin attempts by Jordan to start the match.
The kick from Parker was nice but The Third Eye is still a terrible way to finish a match, even one of this length. In fact, it’s probably worse in a short match given how weak it looks.
Seriously, having someone hit you like that is more likely to annoy you than knock you down long enough to pin you.
Pointless match but didn’t consume much time.
Mojo Rawley vs. Bo Dallas – Winner: Bo Dallas
I’m yet to work out what Mojo Rawley is. Maybe it’s an American thing and doesn’t translate to someone on the other side of the Atlantic. He seems massively popular with the live crowd but I can never quite fathom why?
Pocahontas is an excellent Bo Dallas chant.
When Rawley bulldozed Dallas out of the ring, Bo did an outstanding job of giving the impression of shock and realisation that the Champ had underestimated his opponent.
I liked the finish; it ended the story of the match well and made Rawley look strong.
Alexander Rusev vs. Kofi Kingston – Kofi Kingston
The early goings demonstrated well the idea that this match was pitting quickness and athleticism versus raw physical power. The two told this well.
A Mexican wave during a wrestling match is never a good sign.
With the chanting for tables and the wave that went before it, it was clear that this match had lost the interest of those in attendance.
I thought that match wasn’t too bad overall. It started well but it lost steam during the middle, which sucked the atmosphere out of things.
It will be interesting to see where Rusev goes from here after his first loss since The Beat the Clock episode in 2012 (that episode still haunts me!) and, more crucially perhaps, after having a match much different than his norm.
Conclusion
Overall, I didn’t enjoy this show very much. It seems strange because it was all in the ring and had very little filler. Even Neville vs. Breeze, which had a nice set up, lacked intensity and left me underwhelmed. I don’t think there was a single bad match on the show but there weren’t any good ones either.
I always miss the ladies when they are not featured.
I was most impressed with Bo Dallas, which is something I never thought I’d be saying a while back. I thought everything he did was perfectly in keeping with his character and he never put a foot wrong.
As always, sincerest thanks for stopping by for the NXT Review with myself, only on The Wrestling Mania.
– By Richard Thompson