It’s easy to think of NXT as being the weaker of the WWE’s three shows because it’s their developmental brand. But that’s not really the case as they’ve been outperforming Raw and Smackdown for a while now, and the lack of blemishes so far prove it.
The Good…
- Opening the show with Undisputed Era standing above all and showing their championship belts. Aside from the arrogance of the display, it’s a great way to show who the top guns in the promotion are as well as getting the fans fired up for the show.
- Tale of the tape. This is just a cool throwback to the Golden Era when Jesse Ventura would open every match going over the wrestlers’ measurable and Gorilla Monsoon would bring various parts up throughout the match.
- Dakota Kai’s return. It’s goo to see any athlete return following a serious injury, and to do so in a quality match is just so much better. The one downside to this was that she and Taynara Conti kept it basic and simple. While it’s smart, it doesn’t always lead to a great match, but it was still fun to watch.
- Nothing like a good street fight to get the blood going. Matt Riddle and Killian Dain delivered on the brutality that was promised and then some. After the match, Adam Cole came out to intimidate Riddle, but Riddle slapped on his Fujimara armbar before the rest of the Undisputed Era arrived.
- Cameron Grimes and Raul Mendoza. The best match of the night, this was a clinic on combining high flying maneuvers and grounded tactics as the two battled back and forth. This was they type of match that made the legends legends.
- Kushida and Breezango vs the Imperium. This had the potential to be the best match, but it was pretty slow and predictable through most of it until the last couple of minutes. It was still a great match, but it needed more time than it was given.
Final thoughts
With one week to go until NXT is a full two hours of live television, it’s easy to see this is going to be more action based than the other WWE brands, and that’s a huge reason why it’s more popular with the fans. We love the storylines and all, but we pay to see the in-ring action.
While a couple of matches weren’t what they could’ve been, they left plenty of room to grow as the superstars get more experience working with one another. This is a promising start so far.
