NXT has left a lot to be desired since the amazing Arrival show. Has there been a return to form this week? Let’s find out!
Mojo Rawley vs. Bull Dempsey – Winner: Mojo Rawley
I can see a lot of you being excited to see Mojo kick off the show with the energy he brings but I remain in the ‘meh’ camp.
You don’t need much wrestling knowledge (look at me!) to know that this had squash written all over it.
The higher ups are obviously very keen on Mojo but given his lack of experience, it will be interesting to see whether he is ready to be made to be such a big deal.
The fans do seem to be behind him though and that is often the most important thing.
Tyler Breeze vs. Sami Zayn
I like that Graves came after Zayn. I wish they didn’t have that throwaway match but hey.
Regal did a great job putting over the viciousness of the attack. This is something I have felt missing from Graves since his rather lacklustre return from injury. I hope this is the start of things to come.
Zayn did a great job of selling the attack too. He didn’t writhe around in agony. Instead he looks shock and disorientated.
Despite Breeze being largely irrelevant here, this was an excellent segment. I wish he feud with Zayn and Graves was starting here.
Adam Rose vs. Camacho – Winner: Adam Rose
I know I wasn’t the biggest fan of Rose as most people were when he debuted but I really don’t like the music change. The previous one was much better.
He lacks any sort of personality but I do really like Camacho.
A chant of Rose’s old music was heard and even that sounded better than the new version.
I like that Rose demonstrated an aggressive side when Camacho mocked him. It shows that he doesn’t just mess around all the time, something that I had been a little worried about since his change from Leo Kruger.
Kruger or Rose; I still love that spinebuster.
Sasha Banks w/ Charlotte vs. Bayley w/ Natalya
Couldn’t help but laugh when Bayley put on the sunglasses.
Sasha reminds me of Madison Rayne with that screaming. It drives me insane.
Having a match with Natalya seems to be something of a rite of passage for women in NXT at the moment, as they are easing with Charlotte. Both Paige and Emma had one in the run up to their match together at Arrival.
I like that Bayley won, it made her seem like a big deal after I felt her feud with the BFFs seemed to have been forgotten in the furore of Arrival and the Network debut.
The match was by no means a classic but it was a refreshing change from what we’ve been seeing in recent weeks and I enjoyed it. After all, that is what wrestling is all about, despite how much we are all guilty of overcomplicating it most of the time.
“The Artiste” Aiden English vs. Sheamus – Winner: Sheamus
Sheamus gets a lot of stick but his reaction from the fans gave this a big fight feel and English seemed more a big deal, as a result.
I could have done without Sheamus singing though. Thank you, Aiden.
The neckbreaker off the top looked nice.
The match was fine without anything major really happening.
English hung in there well and enjoyed the rub of the bigger star.
Overall Show
I enjoyed the show but it didn’t set the world alight.
It was a marked improvement from recent weeks and I hope the trend continues
They’re teasing a ‘Vengeance’ show for next week. It seems a little soon after Arrival for this to be happening. We have had very little build up to Neville vs. Bo Dallas and it feels rushed.
That being said, the show has potential to pick things up further after the improvements made this week.
Until then, folks. Thanks for checking out my thoughts. As always, share yours in the comments section below.
– By Richard Thompson