By Graham "GSM" Matthews Alicia Fox def. Summer Rae I didn't enjoy this match when it happened on Main Event this week and I enjoyed this match even less. It's more of an indictment on Creative not knowing what to do with either of them than it is on their talent, though the match was sloppy in some spots and they never seemed to find the right rhythm. You could have heard a pin drop it was quiet, and again, it's disappointing because both Summer and Fox have a lot to offer. Not to mention that Fox's axe kick on Summer was dangerous as all hell. Has she been executing that move worse and worse or is it just me? Curtis Axel and Macho Mandow def. Adam Rose and Heath Slater If you saw SmackDown on Thursday, then you already saw this match. It was essentially the same contest, just a little bit longer. That said, there wasn't anything special about either match, but it was fun to see Sandow and Axel in their Savage and Hogan get-ups, respectively. The crowd certainly got a kick out of it and they came alive for Axel's hot tag. I liked it while it lasted, but this will undoubtedly get old after a while as it feels more like a house show gimmick.
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By Graham "GSM" Matthews Kane Interrupted Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose WWE hyping Reign's appearance on this show as his "return" was comical considering he was last seen four days ago at Payback, but it was a nice hook for SmackDown since he wasn't on Raw this week. It was a logical follow-up to his loss at Payback, but he didn't give any indication as to what's next for him other than he has aspirations to be in the Money in the Bank Ladder match (which should be interesting). Kane's interruption led to the segment being pretty paint-by-numbers, but the announcement of Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt gave viewers something to look forward to in the main event. The Lucha Dragons def. Los Matadores, Cesaro & Tyson Kidd, and The Ascension in a Four Corners Match I feared this match was going to go only a few minutes and completely defeat the purpose of there being multiple teams, but thankfully that wasn't the case. All four teams were able to showcase their skills and it gave us a fun preview of what we're in store for come Elimination Chamber. I also like The Lucha Dragons going over because fans take them seriously and they needed the win more than the other three tandems. On a side note, The New Day and the Prime Time Players weren't distracting on commentary and were actually entertaining to listen to at times. By Graham "GSM" Matthews Lucha Underground Champion Prince Puma def. Marty "The Moth" Martinez (Non-title) I was a huge fan of Marty during his time on Tough Enough in 2011 (a season he should have won had it not been for his injury) and he seems to be settling into his "crazed fanboy" gimmick nicely. He's a very solid wrestler to boot and he got in a ton of offense over the champion throughout this match. It wasn't given much time, but it was a nice little match for what it was and a good introduction of the Marty character. Additionally, Puma needed a win, so this worked out well for him also. Vampiro Interviewed Johnny Mundo Vampiro's interviews are always excellent because he isn't like any other interviewer in the wrestling business: he doesn't stray away from the hard-hitting questions, he doesn't get intimidated and he gets straight to the point. Mundo was never the strongest mic worker in WWE, but he seems to have improved a bit since then. I liked his rationale for why he attacked Alberto El Patron and it made his heel turn logical. His "insider" shots at El Patron were also small little touches that made this great. Baron Corbin def. Rhyno You didn't honestly expect much from this match, did you? It wasn't bad by any means, but it was just fine for what it was and nothing more. I will say this, though: it was Corbin's best bout to date, and yes, I'm fully aware that's not saying much. It was a competent match and the right person went over, so there really isn't anything to complain about. Rhyno is great in this role of coming in to put over the younger guys, so I'm hoping this isn't the last we see of him in NXT. NXT Tag Team Champions Blake and Murphy def. Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady The tag team division in NXT isn't anything to write home about, so by NXT standards, this was an above average match. As entertaining as the act of Amore and Cassady is, their matches aren't super special, but this was definitely one of their better outings. Meanwhile, Blake and Murphy held their own, but they still need to do more in my eyes to establish themselves as more than just a pair of generic competitors with an annoying entrance song. Alexa Bliss turning heel was a pleasant surprise and her costing Amore and Cassady the match protected the babyfaces while keeping them in chase mode a little longer. NXT Women's Champion Sasha Banks def. Becky Lynch I've literally run out of words to describe how great the women's matches are in NXT. This was just excellent all around. I was fearing early on that it wouldn't be better than some of the other women's matches we've seen on these live specials before, but in time, they proved me wrong. They told a stellar story with Banks working over the arm of Lynch, and speaking of Lynch, who wasn't a beloved babyface going in, won over the audience by the end with her tremendous performance. They instantly clicked in the ring together and created a chemistry that made for a magnificent match. Banks went over decisively, but Becky still looked strong in defeat. The strong streak of the ladies stealing the show at these specials continues. NXT Champion Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn Ended in a No Contest I'll start off by saying that while this wasn't the match I hoped it would (and I have no idea what I was expecting considering Zayn is still partially hurt), I thoroughly enjoyed almost everything about it. The crowd was red hot for the brawl they had on the outside of the ring, but the match felt rushed once they got back into the ring. Owens destroying Zayn on the ring apron was brutal as well. I loved the story they told with all the punishment that Zayn endured, but I can't say I was a fan of the non-finish. Zayn could have been pinned and been just fine. It's just the same story we saw at the last live special, so it felt redundant. Of course, all of that was null and void and Samoa Joe came out. What a moment! I had a feeling in the weeks leading up to the event that he could show up, but it completely slipped my mind by the end of the show. Him vs. Owens for the belt while Zayn is out has all the potential in the world to be amazing. His debut was very well received and came off like the major moment it should have been. Welcome to WWE, Joe. Overall Show These NXT live specials continue to get better and better and never cease to entertain me. I don't know if I'd call this one my favorite special to date (that's still reserved for the December event), but it was definitely up there. The undercard was enjoyable, the women's match was the best bout on the entire show, the storytelling in the main event was sensational, and Joe's WWE debut was incredible. If you're not already watching NXT, well, what the hell is wrong with you? Start with this show. I'm extremely excited for what the future of the brand holds and what's in the store for the coming weeks and months. |
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