This week's NXT was a lot of the same from previous weeks: a Wrestling-heavy show that had squash matches put over NXT's bread and butter and matches involving low-carded Smackdown talent that identified who the main event NXTers are meant to be. Even though this is the 3rd show of its kind, i don't have a problem with this. The brand is still developing their main roster and short decisive matches mixed with a competitive main event is the way to establish a definitive NXT pecking order. In short, WWE is doing a tremendous job making this show feel different from their other 3 broadcasts. Variety is definitely the spice of life in this case. The end result is another 1 hour episode of NXT that is logical, straight forward and still highly entertaining.
Match Results:
Match No. 1:
Sophia Cortez
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Paige
Rating: * 3/4
Comments:
For NXT's first Diva match, i was VERY impressed with what we got for a 2-3 minute match. Cortez (a mix between Trish Stratus and Tiffany) and Paige (a mix between TNA's Daffny and Katie Lee) put on one of the most hard-hitting women's matches I've seen on WWE television in a long time. Both definitely had something to prove here and while Cortez was the one that was pushed with the "W", Paige was definitely no slouch. Both ladies's body of work was solid and it lead to an impressive DDT variation by Cortez for the pin. I also liked how JR was giving the back grounds of both ladies in this match. Hearing that Paige's mother AND father were former wrestlers added to her credibility. All in all, a good opener to NXT and i hope both ladies hang around on the roster.
Match No. 2:
Seth Rollins
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Camacho (w/ Hunico)
Rating: *1/4
Comments:
Rollins definitely has "it" and it seems as though WWE gets sees it too. Even though he was involved in a slow and , at times, motionless match, Rollins' high spots were highlights of an otherwise uninspiring match. He added to the story of work with his solid selling and had some intelligent babyface comeback spots where Rollins "learned" from his previous "mistakes". I think the boring pace of the match has a lot to do with Camacho. Although JR was attempting to put him over on commentary (even going as far as to recognize the reality that "He is a big prospect....We have not seen him wrestle on SD all that much"), there was no denying that Camacho's offense sucked. He came off as sloppy at times and when Rollins wanted to pick up the pace, he kept it slow with pointless stalling sequences. But, Rollins got the "W" and regardless of the match, it is smart of WWE to give victories to these new NXT'ers over Smackdown talent that aren't going anywhere fast. The post match beat down of Rollins helped set up the main event and a double dose of Rollins for this episode of NXT, which wasn't a bad thing. In short, the right man won here and the post-match moved the show along.
Match No. 3:
Jack Carter & Corey Graves
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CJ Carter & Nick Rodgers
Rating:**
Comments:
Happy to see WWE add another two tag teams to their division. For 2012 tag team wrestling standards, i enjoyed this bout. Both teams, like the females in the opener, worked hard, but worked smart. Both team's selling was a bit lacking however. That is, at times, big moves were hit and were immediately countered or no-sold. Like JR has said a million times, these young wrestlers need to slow things down so that audience members like me have the chance to take things in. Both of these teams had a generic look about them , but it was nice to see Vader's son out there (CJ Parker). Carter and Graves got the entrance, thus they got the "W". For future matches, i would avoid having one team or singles competitor miss out on having their entrance. Its quickly becoming obvious who is going to go over. Some of the best matches on NXT to date have both men come out to their music which gives a feeling of unpredictability. In the end, the man or woman who WWE wants to win will go over if they have the talent as "the cream always rises to the top". All in all, a fine tag match with an innovative Body Slam/Neck Breaker finish from Carter and Graves.
Match No. 4:
Kassius Ono
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Mike Dalton
Rating: * 3/4
Comments:
Kassius was the one who got the royal treatment this time around with a pre-match video and post-match promo, but Dalton was the star of the match for me. Considering this kid has been trained by Lance Storm, it is obvious as to why. The kid was like a darkened version of Dolph Ziggler and he sold like an absolute champ. If his job was to go out there and attempt to make Ono look like a threat, then mission accomplished. However, i am not completely sold on this NXT newcomer. Sure, he dominated and got the "W", but his pre-match video package was a bit corny, and his post-match promo was way too scripted. WAY too many catch phrases that didn't connect with the live audience. Naturalness in promos is always the way to go. However, he had a number of innovative counters against Dalton. Coupled that with Dalton's fantastic selling and you have yourself a pretty acceptable NXT match.
Match No. 5:
Jinder Mahal
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Derrick Bateman
Rating: **
Comments:
After last week's win, it is obvious that WWE want to establish Mahal as a top heel in NXT. As of right now, i have no problem with it. Racial stereotypes are such natural heels and considering it is NXT's early days, a natural heat magnet will assist in garnishing a reaction from the live crowd.
The match itself was well paced and well worked. Bateman looked good and had a number of effective hope spots that got the crowd going. A mixture of move sets (ie Bateman's quick offense vs Mahal's ground and pound) kept things fresh and interesting. Mahal again was basic in his offense but wasn't completely boring like Camacho previously. I think that has a lot to do with his aggression (or as JR calls it, his "mean streak"). Mahal's Camel Clutch got over once more and, like i said before, if they are intent on making Mahal a figurehead of NXT then well done. Time will tell if he will be able to carry the ball amongst guys like Kidd and Migilligutty while making the rest of the up and comers look good at the same time.
Match No. 6: Six Man Tag Team Match
Michael Migillicutty, Hunico and Camacho
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Tyson Kidd, Bo Dallas and Seth Rolands
*Match of the Night*
Rating: ** 1/2
Comments:
While this match wasn't as good as Kidd and Migillicutty's singles outing a few weeks ago, this match still had everything you could want from a main event: good solid mat work, exciting high spots and a clean winner. William Regal also joined the commentary team for this one match as it looks like he is now a guest commentator. While this is disappointing Regal is no longer a main stay for the whole hour, it was nice having him commentate on the most important match of the show.
The one overwhelming point that can be taken from this main event was that the established Smackdown stars definately took it to Rollins and Dallas. The match involved two babyface beat down spots and each sequence had Migillicutty, Hunico and Camacho all lay in stiff shots to the rookies. Chops, forearm shots, everything. I think this is what they call "paying your dues". These long, drawn out beat downs (while still fun to watch) were contextualized by strong wrestling from the established stars. Kidd's reversal of Hunico's Gory Special into a bridge-up was definitely one of these highlights.
The finish had the heel team going over, while Dallas and Rolands showed their aerial abilities with Planches and Suicide Dives to the outside. Now that we are 3 episodes deep, I would like to see this result lead to NXTs 1st storyline. Regardless of future plans, the main event was a nice cap off to another fun edition of NXT
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