First off, big salute to the WWE for keeping Graves around. Although I disagree with the whole giving him a contract thing being as it was a publicity stunt, but that was nice to keep the poor guy around. I'll miss seeing him in the ring.
Kevin Owens vs CJ Parker
NXT has to be the greatest when it comes to wrestlers debuts, the last wrestler who had an impressive debut like this one on WWE television was CM Punk back in 2006. The former Kevin Steen kicked off the match with dominating offense and impressive speed and athleticism for a guy his size, which comes as no surprise to me but did for most of his critics within the WWE Universe. Parker hit a stiff Jushin Liger like palm strike which opened up his hand and broke Owen's nose, it was great and all because it helped Kevin come off a lot stronger but sucked because Parker could get some heat from management and fans alike. Owen's hits a vicious lariat followed by the Steen Breaker. Owen's gets the win with a pop up powerbomb so yeah independent fans who might visit this site, no Package Piledriver....yet. (Devitt hit a Brainbuster and Neville has half his arsenal in the WWE so anything is possible as of now)
Match Rating: 7/10 (Short but sweet and completed it's purpose.)
NXT Tag Team Championship: Lucha Dragons(c) vs Vaudevillians
We have top independent standouts like Kalisto, Sin Cara & Simon Gotch in this match but MAN was I impressed with the way Aiden English carried himself in this match, I mean the guy brings back the classic heel character and works it to perfection as he should. His mannerisms and body language helped provide a pretty convincing story which you don't see much from some of the WWE created guys. The match was exciting, there was strong display of the positive aspect of Lucha psychology which is something that happens rarely in Mexico if you want to be honest. Aiden English took Tope Con Hilo's from the Lucha Dragons and pushed Gotch out of the way which was pretty interesting, however Gotch failed to take the advantage and Kalisto hits the Salida Del Sol for the victory.
Match Rating: 7/10 (Lets be honest here kids, the NXT Tag Team Division is a tad slimmer than that of the main roster but it's a hell of a lot more exciting)
Baron Corbin vs Tye Dillinger
Ok.....Excuse my language but I'm sick of Corbin's shit, If his matches were going to show so little of his ability, then why is he even competing on Television? It was tolerable when it first happened because "OK the kid is green but lets showcase him for awhile" but Corbin has shown little to improvement enough to buy him. I mean come on, NXT crowd is not enough because they mark out for grunts, this gimmick is not that different from Chuck Palumbo's or Ryan Braddock(Remember that guy? Of course not). They continue to tease his feud with someone who has competed more but is even less impressive, Bull Dempsey. I don't mean to come off as that guy for this match but I'm sick of seeing one or two move finishes with basic strikes.
Match Rating: 0.5/10 (I'm not giving it a full point until maybe the Bull vs Corbin match because that's what they might be saving Corbin for.)
Finn Balor & Hideo Itami vs The Ascension
Hideo comes out to some new attire, not the typical KENTA look but something different which is pretty neat....BUT all of that dies once Finn Balor enters with his godly usage of the body paints and the entrance that was just as great as his Wrestle Kingdom 8 entrance. This match was probably the best match for every man involved so far, the crowd loved every bit of it and was totally behind Finn from start to finish. Itami got arguably the pop of the night after teasing the GTS which had the crowd going insane. Finn Balor also hit the Reverse Bloody Sunday which was equally as awesome especially with it being sold so well, I'm stunned at how well and quick Balor has adapted to the WWE style of wrestling. Balor and Itami finished off the latest main roster stars with the Double Diving Foot Stomp for the finish.
Match Rating: 7.5/10 (This match was just so good, I praised The Ascension less during this but they were just as good and if you asked me they were much better as a cohesive unit and this was one of their better showings if that the best since Bram left.)
Roman Reigns Interview
Renee Young interviews Roman Reigns who puts over the NXT talent and states that he wants to be the first of the NXT alumni since it became a developmental territory to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. If you asked me, this screamed that he will and if not Roman than Rollins will but I doubt Rollins will cash it in on Lesnar successfully so...
Promo/Interview Rating: 2.5/5 (Not a bad interview but not great, I kinda don't enjoy Reigns on the mic which in my opinion provides a major setback if you're looking to be THE top guy in the WWE.)
NXT Women's Championship: Charlotte(c) vs Sasha Banks
This was a great divas bout, Charlotte proves that when push comes to shove she can put on a wrestling clinic despite having one year worth of professional experience. This was less of a technical wrestling bout than the Nattie vs Charlotte match but as far as the story and overall work rate went, this match was so much better and those are spots you would never see in the main roster divas division. In ring psychology was just there from start to finish, spot of the night goes to Charlotte who went for a Moonsault and landed on her feet as she was going to miss because of Sasha dodging but connects with a Senton making the match seem like a Kota Ibushi match which is not a bad thing if you know what and who I am talking about. Sasha hit a Tope Suicida (Suicide Dive) onto Charlotte which is a rare move for the divas and a step up for the consistent Tope Con Hilo's that were performed during the whole show if anybody noticed. Charlotte hits the Natural Selection from the top rope to retain her NXT Women's Championship, Ladies and Gentleman I think we've found the true future faces of the diva's division.
Match Rating: 8.5/10 (Outstanding match, I don't even remember the last time that I've seen a women's wrestling bout like that on the Independent scene in recent memory)
NXT Championship: Sami Zayn vs Adrian Neville(c)
Adrian Neville doesn't deserve the heat that he's getting considering how he started to get it but no complaints considering how it made the story of this match that much better. Ole chants right out of the gate with "Lets go Sami" chants, the crowd reaction can be compared to that of Cena vs RVD at ECW One Night Stand just not as violent and consistent because they did show some respect as the match went on. I'm blown away with the athleticism and movements of these guys, runner up for spot of the night goes to Sami Zayn for his Torpedo DDT to Neville, which is a common move of Zayn's but Neville's selling of the move made it look brutal without overdoing it(Eat your heart out Ziggler). Loved that Neville used those mini shin kicks like Toshiaki Kawada(Seriously, a lot of Puroresu influence in these matches tonight, this might be a response to NJPW) and nice reverse hurricanrana countered into a Blue Thunder Bomb. This ref sucks chants were the chants of the night, Helluva Kick for the victory and NEWWWWW NXT Champion!
Match Rating: 8.5/10 (Something special about this match which won't get as much recognition since it's on the "minor league" show but DAMN was this a great match)
The NXT locker room and Pat Patterson comes out to show respect to Sami Zayn, Owen's rushed the ring to hug his best friend and worst enemy. Confetti comes down and it's a big Sami Zayn celebration, Zayn and Neville stands across from each other and Zayn extends his hand but Neville kicks it away and rises the hand of the new champion. Owen's comes back out and hugs Sami again, as both men gets ready to head to the back....WELL Owen's slams the NXT Champion to the ramp hard and powerbombs him onto the apron. Zayn would get stretchered out after the attack. When will Zayn learn that he cannot trust Owen's? Because I remember something similar happening on a much smaller stage, a stage which provided the reason for me marking out when I saw this happening.
- Superstar Of The Night: Kevin Owens - (Balor and Sami were big runner ups but Kevin Owens turned heads in just about all directions)
- Diva Of The Night: Sasha Banks - (Charlotte's athletic prowess is amazing but Sasha Banks is the real star of this feud, her character and work rate in between those ropes are proof enough and if you don't believe me just check out that match again and tell me who the crowd was behind. Don't mistake some of those WOO's for Boo's)
- Match(es) Of The Night: NXT Championship & Women's Championship - I couldn't choose because both matches were freaking great and my god the stories behind both matches were fantastic.
- Deceased Wrestler Of The Night: Owen Hart - Cause of death was falling over 80 feet in the air onto the turnbuckle on live PPV right before his WWF Intercontinental Title match . He was just 34 years old. R.I.P King Of Harts.
Munchie's Final Breakdown: This show was epic from top to bottom (Except maybe that squash match which kinda pissed me off, Charlotte and Sasha could've used the extra 5 minutes if that was going to be the case) but everything was awesome, every match that mattered exceeded expectations. The thing that impresses me so much about NXT is that champions are presented with so much honor and respect and so are the titles as they're treated with so much importance.
I mean the NXT Women's Championship has been around for like what 2 years? and already that belt has proven to be so much better than the WWE Divas Championship which has changed has changed hands a total of 5 times which three of those title changes came as a mockery to the entire division.
The NXT Championship....When was the last time we've gotten a storyline that showcased so much emotion form ONE guy trying to win the big title? John Cena has won the title a total of 15 times but yet NONE compares to Sami Zayn's title journey and he's the face of the company which says a lot. Honestly the last win that was this emotional was (Don't crucify me) Chris Benoit's World Title win at Wrestlemania 20 and before that was Shawn Michaels winning the WWE Championship for the first time at Wrestlemania 12.
I'm just telling it like it is. It's not John Cena's fault personally nor is it AJ Lee's, Nikki Bella's or Paige's the fault lies on Vince McMahon and WWE's HEAD creative team. You have gotten outshined by your own developmental system, wake up and take your heads out of your asses and give us something where wrestlers are given the chance to shine and showcase their passion, something where titles are given the respect that they deserve, matches where everybody can put on 5 star matches on a three hour show and maybe just maybe you'll be respected by the world.
Show Rating: 8.5/10 (This is a must see event, go now and catch this event on the WWE Network and other existing links over at the BollyRulez site)
