NXT 1/14/15 Thoughts

[Messiah]

2:30 AM, nothing better to do, gonna run-down the show as I watch.

- The announcers for NXT are a lot better at paying attention to what is going on in the ring and making sense of storylines or why a match is happening. However, Alex Riley still irks the hell out of me and Renee Young can be a bit frustrating to listen to at times as she is kind of the Michael Cole of announcing down there in NXT (the use of extreme hyperbole). Of course I like Cole more than most do so I don't really have that big of an issue with Young but she can be too much sometimes.

- It feels a little odd for a show without commercials to "take a break" during a match like what happened during the Kidd/Balor bout. I forgot that NXT still airs on television internationally though.

- Balor/Kidd got a decent amount of time considering its an hour-long show and they churned out a solid match with Balor getting the victory. Kind of disappointed, I would have loved for Kidd to win cheaply (pulling the tights, grabbing the ropes, etc) and for a feud to build between the two. With everyone else on the show either not credible enough to battle Balor or already in a story, I don't know what is left for him to do in the mean time. After Neville, Balor will probably get called up to the WWE next but he still needs something to do in the mean time. Maybe Tyler Breeze? Haven't seen him in awhile and like Balor, he doesn't have anything to do.

- Bull Dempsey's theme is ace and at the very least, effective.

- For a match I couldn't give a damn about because I don't care about either wrestler, I thought it was well-done. It wasn't a complete squash and both were allowed an equal amount of offense in a short amount of time. Still not sure how I feel about Corbin, the fans dig him and I like his finisher but he hasn't had to do much. They are doing a good job protecting him which is a good thing. They aren't trying to turn him into something he is not. He's supposed to be an ass-kicker, nothing more. Just not sure how much longer that can last.

- Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch is such an odd pairing. It is also why it is so awesome. Also, Sasha Banks is the best.

- Damn, that was a good tag team match for the time it was given. My favorite match of the night so far. Everyone was on their A game and I just love how all 4 divas have their own distinct personality. That double knee to the ribs from Banks to Natayla is sick. LOVE Banks winning this one with a handful of tights. I wonder if they are going to go with a triple threat or fatal four way for the title at the next live event. Becky Lynch shouldn't be left out and you still have Bayley roaming around. Banks deserves a run with the strap and its probably time for Charlotte to move up to the main roster, not sure there is a lot more you can do with her in NXT.

- "Call your daddy?! WOOO!!!"

- I think it was prophet who said Adrian Neville gets overlooked and he's right. I'm guilty of doing it too. He is fantastic. He probably has the best looking Hurricanrana I have ever seen, it looks like it would legitimately concuss you. Unrelated to this week but he has improved his talking skills as well, check out the promo he had with Owens a couple of weeks ago.

- One of the announcers should have pointed out that Zayn popping up from his injury like that was exactly what Neville did during their rivalry a couple of months ago which helped him retain the title. I don't know if it was intentional or not on NXT or Neville/Zayn's part but if so, and I figure it was, great job tying everything together.

- FINALLY someone blocks that damn through the ropes DDT! Zayn is a great seller.

- AMAZING main event! I shouldn't have expected any less from these two. The counters were terrific and they told a story involving elements from their feud. I don't read NXT results/spoilers so I don't know what is in store for future episodes but I get the feeling this might have been the last we see of Neville in NXT.

- Ha, as if Kevin Owens would allow Sami Zayn to have a happy ending. Owens kicking the title was awesome. He doesn't give a shit about anyone or anything.

I'm all about entertainment. I love promos, I love funny backstage skits, I love all that jazz. With that said, NXT has been doing a lot of that lately. It was time for a show like this. This was one of those shows where they advanced storylines through wrestling and it was as good of a show as I've seen since, well, NXT R Evolution. I wasn't a huge fan of their last couple of shows as either they were trying to finish old storylines or in the beginning stages of building towards new ones, not that the shows were bad but they weren't anything special either. I can't really find a flaw in what they gave us this week. Maybe Balor not coming out of this show with anything to do but it was Balor's first singles match IIRC so I get why he had to win.

[Hanley!]

I just watched this show and really enjoyed it. NXT is the only wrestling show I can watch currently and not get bored. It's far from perfect. Often the hour just doesn't provide enough time for everything and we're left with either not enough wrestling or not enough story. But every other show I try to watch loses me at some point and I have to skip stuff; at least NXT always keeps my attention.

The opening match was quite enjoyable. Actually longer and more competitive than I was expecting. I was glad to see Kidd in a match and getting some offense. That guy is one of the most criminally underused performers in the entire company. At least he has a bit of a gimmick at the moment in NXT, but he's been in the company far too long to have accomplished so little.

Balor meanwhile is a fucking star. Watching him this week, it occurred to me that NXT can't really do much to get him more over. He's got an aura already and I'm not sure putting him through the ringer before he hits the main roster is going to do him that much good. I'd like to see him get his big entrance (with makeup) at the Royal Rumble to test the waters. He should get a huge response. Then have him debut fully after Wrestlemania.

Stop doing the Pele Kick though, Balor. It looks awkward. Maybe that's just coming from someone who has seen Styles do the move, but they're miles apart in quality.

Bull Dempsey seems like an okay promo guy, but his look is terrible and he doesn't seem to have it in the ring at all. I'm glad this was basically a squash for Corbin, because these two guys aren't on the same level. I think what this mini-feud mostly accomplished was to transition Corbin slowly into real matches. The counting the length of his match thing was a fun gimmick, but it's not one that can move up the card with him and I noticed that it wasn't happening this week. Probably because there was an expectation that this would be a proper match (and maybe there was some cue from the officials there). I do dig Corbin at this point, but we'll have to wait and see how he fares as he transitions into a fuller character competing in real feuds.

The women's match was good. Much better than what we'd see on Raw. I didn't think Nattie or Charlotte looked as sharp as normal though. There were a couple of sloppy sequences. There was a wheelbarrow splash tag team move thing that looked just awful. That kind of stuff has to be done fluidly and fast to look effective. I really love Sasha Banks though. She's just owning her character, and she's good in the ring too. She should make a great addition to the Raw roster eventually.

Zayn vs Neville was what you'd expect: a very high quality championship match. What struck me about this match is that while there were some very flashy moves, it all comes off as quite realistic. Some of their counters and blocks were a little unusual and looked very much like something a real person might try to do in the given situation. And they both have a lot of conviction in the ring. They're not just good at rattling off their moves, they sell everything in terms of body language, expression, etc.

I've said it before, but Zayn has such natural charisma and is so loveable and good in the ring that I reckon that the Daniel Bryan vs the Authority angle would have been that much better if it was (somehow) Zayn instead of Bryan. He reminds me of Bryan, due to his background and because of his jovial face persona, but I think Zayn is better. Which is high praise. This guy could be huge if WWE treat him right once he's brought up to the main roster. I actually think he has more star potential than anyone else down there.

I don't want to overlook Neville though. I think the guy is great, and Zayn's equal in the ring in recent months. A lot of people say Neville is being overlooked lately and I think that's maybe true to an extent, but it never feels like that here. Cos I really like the guy and he's my fiance's favourite wrestler right now. She's big into his matches.

Owens' interference was what it was. They're doing a good job of making the fans hate this guy, which I appreciate. He makes those power moves look absolutely brutal too, which is helping him get over. I need to see more from this guy before I establish a proper opinion on him though. I think they've booked him well, but I want to see some more interaction between him and Zayn in the coming weeks and a little more promo time from him. He had a segment with Neville a couple of weeks ago and I didn't think he came off all that well. Still, I have high hopes for the guy.

Definitely an entertaining show. I'm looking forward to next week already.