The energy level was high and the crowd
was pumped for action as NXT returned to the UADC Gymnasium in Tampa.
The evening got off to an exciting start with a hot tag team match
that pitted Solomon Crowe and Elias Sampson versus Sin Cara and
Kalisto. I'm not familiar with Sampson, who came out to western music
dressed like a sort of desperado cowboy complete with a guitar, but
he left a good impression nonetheless and am looking forward to
seeing where this character goes. Though I was already a fan of Crowe
I become even more so every time I see him perform. I've never been
the biggest Sin Cara fan but I will say he translates much better
live than on TV, but as impressive as he is it is Kalisto who wowed
the crowd tonight. A great performance from all four men although the
stars of the match were Crowe and Kalisto. I've seen them compete
against each other several times now and it's clear they have
developed a good chemistry. In the end it was the luchadores Kalisto
and Sin Cara who stood victorious.
Next up was divas action as Carmella
took on Becky Lynch. I've only seen Carmella wrestle a handful of
times now and this was definitely her best outing yet. Her natural
athleticism along with her princess of Staten Island gimmick equals
big time potential. Becky Lynch continued to prove why she is
probably my favorite female wrestler on the roster with her high
energy and a bit of a rougher style than you are used to seeing from
the ladies. Lynch had new ring gear and new music, it seems they are
relying less on Irish stereotypes and relying more on the skills and
energy of the self described “life enthusiast. It was an
entertaining match culminating in Lynch winning via pinfall.
Dana Brooke comes to the ring to
interview Troy McClain. It didn't take long before McClain hijacked
the interview and went into his ironic passive aggressive motivational
speech. Unfortunately, it was a bad night for Troy McClain, not only
plagued by microphone issues but also the fact that became
increasingly obvious to everyone in attendance that his zipper was
down. It's difficult to take life lesson from someone who hasn't
mastered one of the simplest life lessons. I like McClain but I think
it's high time for a new gimmick.
Next up Bull Dempsey faced off against
Angelo Dawkins. I like Bull more every time I see him perform, he is
a no nonsense wrestler with a smashmouth style and I'm glad to see he
seems to be getting a decent push. Dawkins, as I've stated before has
the size, the athleticism, and all the potential in the world. The
problem is I can't get past his gimmick and his silly dancing. The
two put on a good match but in the end Bull Dempsey racked up another
victory.
We follow with Marcus Louis taking on
Colin Cassidy in a solid match. Louis is impressive and seems to be
coming into his own in NXT, but it was Cassidy who was on fire
tonight and clearly had the crowd behind him and the always over Enzo
Amore at ringside. It was a fun match that clearly swung in the favor
of Big Cass. However, with a distraction from Sylvester Lefort and a
handful of trunks Marcus Louis was able to steal a win.
After a short intermission the second
half of the show starts off with a bang as Tyler Breeze and CJ Parker
square off. The match started with plenty of trash talking and
showboating from both men before evolving into what was probably my
favorite match of the night. I stand behind my prediction that Breeze
is a future WWE champion, and Parker I believe is just now really
hitting his stride and his best is yet to come. A great match that
ended with Tyler Breeze getting the 1-2-3 over CJ Parker.
Then came more tag team action as “The
Mechanics” Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder took on Buddy Murphy and
Wesley Blake. I'm not terribly familiar with any of these competitors
but they held my attention with an action packed match. Not a pretty
match by any means, it was a rough and rugged match with plenty of brawling and stiff shots culminating in a win for The Mechanics. Great job from all four men, although the
Aussie Buddy Murphy is the stand out to me (his tattered ring attire
is a standout too for other less flattering reasons).
Mojo Rawley came to the ring to give a
promo that I really didn't see the point of except just to have him
appear. It was something about dreams and staying hyped. A lot of
people seem to really like Rawley and that shows me he has a charisma
and his enthusiasm can be contagious, or at the very least
entertaining. However, what I'd like to see from Mojo Rawley is more
character dimension and a broader move-set.
Next up Garret Dylan hit the ring
followed by Baron Corbin. The only way to describe this match is as a
squash match and the only word to describe Corbin was intense. He
came to the ring with intent and immediately decimated his opponent.
The back of Corbins vest has the depiction of a wolf which seemed
very apropos as at moments he seemed as if he was stalking his prey.
This match was a short blast of destruction and very fitting for
someone with the size and look of Baron Corbin. I like this new found
intensity from the big man and can't wait to see where it takes him.
In our main event of the evening Ty
Dillinger and Jason Jordan took on the NXT tag champions The
Ascension in an exciting back and forth tag team contest. We saw an
impressive effort from Jordan and Dillinger, who I am glad to see are
playing the heel role these days. But in the end like everyone else
they found themselves victims to the destruction of The Ascension. As
much as I don't want to lose Konnor and Victor to the main roster I
absolutely can't wait to see them ascend to the top of the tag team
division where they belong.
The show ended a little earlier than
usual, but what we lost in minutes was made up for with content and
an even more energetic night than usual.
