Written by Tommy Tracy
Here we go, another week of NXT and we are loaded from opening to close with wrestling and some incredible star power. So here we go.
We start with Sami Zayn and the announce team keeps saying this is his return. He returned a month ago, so this makes no sense. Anyway, Adam Rose makes HIS return to Full Sail and the crowd begins to instantly give him a hard time for not bringing the Exotic Express. I join them. A solid match back but it’s quite obvious that Zayn will pick up the win and look strong heading into next weeks #1 Contender’s Match.
We get a promo from Johnny Gargano and he tells the NXT universe that Samoa Joe is a big meanie and should be taken care of. Good luck, kid.
Now here’s a promo I wanted to see. Chad Gable and Jason Jordan are incredible in the ring and in the mic and their absolute brutal verbal beat down of Blake and Murphy here is fantastic. And they have a new name: American Alpha. I dig it…and so did Jordan.
The Perfect (Jobber) 10, Tye Dillinger hits the ring and is quickly beaten by the much larger (and more talented) Apollo Crews. I know it was Triple H who suggested Crews’ new finisher (a spinning powerbomb) but damn, what a brilliant move. It not only shows his strength but his athleticism and it’s a sight to see. Crews then challenges Finn Balor to a non-title match and says he wants to see who the better man is. Sadly, his mic skills are not on par with his genius in-ring work.
Next we get a promo with the aforementioned Blake and Murphy, stating how stupid of a name America Alpha is. Well, it’s better than Blake and Murphy.
Baron Corbin hits the ring (at about half a mile an hour) and to my surprise, so does independent sensation Rich Swann. Swann can sell with the best of them and the way he took Corbin’s move set was great. Corbin, again, makes short work with the sideslam in an anti climatic match. What? No End of Days?
Emma and Alexa Bliss team up to take on Bayley and her best friend, Carmella. This was a great match with Bayley taking the majority of the beat down. When Carmella got the hot tag it was explosive and she made Alexa tap out with an inventive slam into armbreaker.
The main event consists of Johnny Gargano taking on Samoa Joe. I’ve never seen Johnny wrestle but I was impressed. Though it was obvious he was just here to put Joe over, his intensity and heart. Though he didn’t last too long and tapped to Joe’s Rear Naked Choke Hold.
Overall, solid NXT and I loved it. It was nice to see the star power back on NXT and though I sorely missed Finn Balor, NXT is proving it’s worth as the best form of entertainment the WWE is offering.
