Louis and LeFort have barely been used for months and Dempsey was little more than a comedy jobber.  It’s strange to see people leaving NXT though as they rarely release anyone.

NXT
Date: July 8, 2015
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Corey Graves, Rich Brennan

We have a new NXT Champion though we’re likely only going to hear about it in voiceovers as this is a taped show from a few weeks back. Finn Balor took the NXT Title from Kevin Owens in Tokyo on 4^th of July and you know Owens is going to be gunning to get his title back. Other than that though, we have the Vaudevillains vs. Enzo/Cass for the #1 contendership. Let’s get to it.

Sasha Banks/??? vs. Dana Brooke/Emma

The new announcer introduces Dana and then throws in that she’s accompanied by her partner Emma. Dana laughs at Sasha for not having a partner so the fans chant Blue Pants. Sasha is ready to fight on her own but here’s someone to back her up.

Sasha Banks/Charlotte vs. Dana Brooke/Emma

Charlotte says she’ll be Sasha’s partner but Banks owes her one. Banks kicks Dana around to start but Brooke runs when it’s off to Charlotte. That means it’s off to Emma, who bails to the floor to avoid a knee drop. The heels finally take over but the fans are busy arguing over whether Dana is rachet or not. Emma bodyscissors Charlotte to slow it down but she fights up for the tag off to Sasha and the champ cleans house. A running knee in the corner and the Bank Statement makes Brooke tap at 4:39.

Rating: C. This didn’t have time to go anywhere and it dragged the match down a lot. Dana tapping out is a bad sign for her but I don’t think anyone really bought her as the top star of the division or anything like that. Sasha vs. Charlotte again is going to be fine and Becky and Bayley returning will make things even better.

As you might guess, Charlotte’s payment will be a title shot next week, which Sasha is just fine with.

Bayley says she can’t wrestle at the moment because of a broken hand. She’ll be back for the NXT Title, but Emma is in for more than a hug.

Video on Finn Balor’s rise to the top of NXT and becoming #1 contender.

We get a clipped version of Balor vs. Owens for the title in Tokyo, but here’s the full match in case you haven’t read it yet.

NXT Title: Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens

We get the Demon entrance and oh yes it’s still glorious. For a bonus, the camera changes to an arena shot at the crescendos of the music. To make it feel even more special, we get the full on flower presentation from geisha girls (Owens throws his into the crowd of course) and streamers for both guys. Get this through your head ROH: doing the same thing for every match doesn’t make it feel more special. Hideo Itami is shown in the front row and we’re ready to start. Balor has more paint than ever with his face, torso and left leg covered.

Balor charges at the bell and loads up the Coup de Grace in the first ten seconds. Owens rolls outside so Balor nails a big dive as the NXT chants start up. He tries to bail again and eats a baseball slide as Balor is all over him. Back in and Owens hammers away to take over for the first time. Owens: “AND THAT’S WHY I’M THE CHAMP!” We hear more of Balor’s accomplishments in New Japan as Owens takes some bows.

It’s off to Chinlock City before a forearm breaks up Balor’s springboard. The slow pace is working for Kevin here and it fits him very well. Finn beats the count back in but takes the backsplash for two. Back in and Owens snapmares him down and runs the ropes….before stopping for a chinlock. Owens: “Are you not impressed? I don’t care. I hate this country and all its stupid people!” Balor fights back again with a middle rope forearm for two so Owens does Cena’s finishing sequence, complete with an attempted AA.

Balor is afraid of a lawsuit over gimmick infringement (only Kurt Angle can steal that many finishers) and slips out twice in a row. Bloody Sunday is teased (and the fans gasp) but it’s a Pele Kick to put Owens down instead. Owens takes a big flip dive and a top rope double stomp to the back, followed by a reverse Bloody Sunday (not called that of course) for a VERY close two. The Coup de Grace misses though and Owens’ Cannonball gets two. The package piledriver slam gets the same but Balor hits a quick Sling Blade.

Another Coup de Grace is countered so Balor kicks him in the head and FINALLY connects with the stomp….for two. Dang I thought that was it. Owens can’t hit the swinging fisherman’s superplex so he settles for a middle rope Regal Roll for two. That looked great. Kevin’s Swanton hits knees and the real Bloody Sunday gets an even closer two. They’re trading bombs here and it’s getting awesome. Owens makes the eternal mistake of slapping a hero in the face and saying the hero can’t beat him. Balor dropkicks him into the corner, hits a running corner dropkick and a second Coup de Grace for the title at 19:30.

Rating: B+. Was there ever any doubt that this was going to be awesome? Owens is one of the best heels that I’ve seen in years and he does everything he can do to make you hate him. The fact that he can go as well as he does in the ring makes him even better, which is saying quite a bit as he’s that good as a character.

Tatsumi Fujinami congratulates Balor on his win.

Kevin Owens doesn’t have anything to say about the loss.

Chad Gable doesn’t know why Jason Jordan doesn’t want him as his partner other than he’s happy with losing. Jordan finally comes up and asks Gable to be his partner next week. Well it’s more saying they’ll be partners next week but it’s as polite as Jordan gets.

Solomon Crowe says he’s back to be the resident monster.

Marcus Louis vs. Solomon Crowe

Louis is back with no music but he’s still crazy. A chop puts him down and Crowe puts on a standing Crippler’s Crossface with his leg tied into Louis’ to crank on the shoulder. That’s a new one. Louis crotches him on top for a very aggressive two and puts on a kneeling abdominal stretch. Crowe fights up again and slaps on a Brock Lock, apparently called the Crowebar for the tap out at 3:18.

Rating: C-. Well Crowe looked better, but it’s still not fitting for him. I’m also never a fan of a crazy guy tapping out as it shows way too much logic and common sense to give up like that. The match wasn’t anything special but neither guy has anything going for them so seeing them on TV is a good sign.

The Vaudevillains say they’ll be the #1 contenders.

Clip of some guys congratulating Balor on winning, including John Cena. Balor says this couldn’t have gone any better.

Vaudevillains vs. Enzo Amore/Colin Cassady

English is rocking a MANLY beard. Enzo and Gotch get things going with Simon getting a rollup for two. Off to English for a headlock on the mat but he’s back out just a few seconds later. Cass shoves both of them to the floor and calls them S-A-W-F-T as we take a break. Back with Cass throwing Enzo into Aiden for two but Enzo charges into a boot in the corner, giving him one of the best eyes wide open stunned faces I’ve ever seen.

It’s Enzo playing the semi-human in peril (I’ve yet to see actual proof that he’s a person) in a chinlock followed by a legdrop before diving over for the tag to Colin. Everything breaks down and Aiden gets kicked in the face. The Rocket Launcher has to be changed into a cross body though and English rolls through for the pin and the title shot at 10:48.

Rating: C+. I liked this more than I thought I would but my goodness they’re really not going with Enzo and Cass getting the titles in Brooklyn? Are they just asking for the worst reaction in years? I know the Vaudevillains will be well received, but my goodness this is one of those layup ideas that they’re just missing. Granted there’s another month before we could get there so all hope isn’t lost.

Overall Rating: C+. This was another shot that set the stage for later more than a good stand alone episode. However, it’s setting up Takeover in Brooklyn and there’s no way that’s not going to be awesome due to the crowd reaction alone. Things will pick up when they can say Balor won the title instead of just having the commentary do it, but Sami will get a great reaction next week in the last show of the taping cycle.

Results

Sasha Banks/Charlotte b. Dana Brooke/Emma – Bank Statement to Brooke

Solomon Crowe b. Marcus Louis – Crowebar

Vaudevillains b. Enzo Amore/Colin Cassady – English rolled through a high cross body

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of Complete Monday Nitro Reviews Volume III at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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NXT
Date: June 3, 2015
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Rich Brennan, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

This is an interesting time for NXT as one of their biggest stories isn’t taking place on NXT. Instead, NXT Champion Kevin Owens has been called up to the main roster and even defeated John Cena clean on pay per view in his debut match. It doesn’t help that he’s feuding with a bunch of people here in NXT as well. Let’s get to it.

The opening video is all about Owens beating Cena at Elimination Chamber.

General Manager William Regal has an announcement tonight.

Tyler Breeze vs. Adam Rose

Fans: “WE WANT KRUGER!” Rose takes him into the corner to start and nails some loud chops, followed by a headlock takeover: rest hold. Back up and Breeze nails a great dropkick to put Rose on the floor. That goes nowhere as Rose backdrops him to the floor and we take a break.

Back with Rose putting on a sleeper for a good while until Breeze fights out and kicks him in the chest. Breeze, wrestling like a face here, nails some running forearms in the corner but gets caught in a spinebuster, which Rose transitions into a Boston crab for a nice spot. Breeze crawls over to the ropes and comes back with the Beauty Shot for the pin at 12:01.

Rating: C+. Breeze is one of those characters who is going to be turned face just due to how well he works in the ring and there isn’t much NXT can do to stop it. This was a much better match than I was expecting, especially considering Rose is way past his expiration date at this point.

Solomon Crowe is glad Joe was there last week and promises to be back and better than ever.

Dana Brooke has been at the Arnold Classic and will be back soon.

Eva Marie is brought to the stage for a chat and MY GOODNESS the fans do not want to see her. The YOU CAN’T WRESTLE chants stop her cold but she says she’ll wait. Eva was at Takeover to watch the great women’s wrestling and that’s why she’s here now. She wants to compete with the best and they’re right here in NXT. I know she’s been training more, but she has a huge hill to overcome to get anywhere.

Regal’s announcement is that on the big 4^th of July show with Brock Lesnar in action, Balor will challenge Kevin Owens for the NXT Title in Japan, and it will air live on the WWE Network. Oh man that could be awesome if they air the whole show but it sounds like just the NXT Title match.

Carmella vs. Alexa Bliss

Carmella goes right at her with three straight takedowns and right hands every time. Bliss manages to drop her face first onto the buckle for two before cranking on a cravate. Back up and Carmella hits some running forearms, only to get caught in a rollup with a hand grabbing the ropes to give Bliss the pin at 3:34.

Rating: D+. This is where NXT’s logical booking shines. It’s clear that they’re setting up a six person tag and what better way to set it up than to have the girls getting there for a bit? Bliss has transitioned into this new role perfectly and the character change is so jarring that it works very well.

Rhyno says he’s back to go after the top contender in Finn Balor. Tonight he’s a Gore away from being one step closer to being NXT Champion.

Video on Sami Zayn’s shoulder surgery, which fixed a torn rotator cuff.

Vaudevillains vs. Jason Jordan/Marcus Louis

I had been wondering what happened to Louis. The crazy Louis starts with Gotch as the fans are very happy to have the Vaudevillains back. It’s quickly off to English for a manly knee to the ribs (Fans: “THAT WAS MANLY!”) but Jordan comes in for a suplex to take over. We hit the reverse chinlock on English to slow things down. Louis tags himself in, much to Jordan’s annoyance, and puts on a chinlock of his own. English fights up and makes the hot tag to Gotch for a quick Whirling Dervish and the pin on Marcus at 5:16.

Rating: D+. So the Vaudevillains seem to be faces as well. That’s not the worst idea in the world as you can put them against Blake and Murphy when Enzo and Cass are done with them. That’s one of the places where NXT shines: they set something up for when the current feud is done and they can transition right into the new feud. I miss that kind of well done and planned out booking. The match was nothing special and was mostly spent in a chinlock. I’m assuming Jordan will go partner hunting for the next few weeks.

Video on Sasha Banks being all Bossy.

Finn Balor is ready for Rhyno.

Finn Balor vs. Rhyno

Feeling out process to start until Rhyno just runs Balor over with a shoulder. Rhyno goes up top but gets kicked out to the floor as we take an early break. Back with Rhyno putting on a body scissors to slow Balor down. Rhyno mocks Balor’s signature pose before putting on a chinlock.

That goes nowhere as Finn comes back with a middle rope forearm but the reverse lifting DDT is countered into a spinebuster for two. Frustration is setting in for Rhyno and the Pele makes it even worse. The Sling Blade connects but the Coup de Grace misses. The Gore misses as well though and Balor grabs a quick rollup for the surprise pin at 12:10.

Rating: C+. I liked this better than I was expecting to with Balor being able to adapt to Rhyno’s simple yet effective power style. That’s the perk of having someone like Rhyno around: he can work well with anyone and you can easily build him back up by having him squash jobbers, only to lose again to someone like Balor. Nice little match here.

Rhyno Gores Balor on the stage to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This show would best be summed up as recharging. You have the Vaudevillains returning and Breeze acting more like a face, along with setting up some feuds for the future. This is something you come to expect from NXT as they hit Takeover, have a week off, and then start getting back on track to the middle of the road feuds. Owens vs. Balor in Tokyo should be awesome and the fans are going to eat it up.

Results

Tyler Breeze b. Adam Rose – Beauty Shot

Alexa Bliss b. Carmella – Rollup while holding the ropes

Vaudevillains b. Jason Jordan/Marcus Louis – Whirling Dervish to Louis

Finn Balor b. Rhyno – Rollup

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of Complete Monday Nitro Reviews Volume III at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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NXT
Date: November 27, 2014
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Rich Brennan, Renee Young, Jason Albert

The big story this week is Finn Balor facing Tyson Kidd in his first singles match in NXT. It’s going to be interesting to see how much more impressive he is than Itami, who hasn’t done much for me, though he needs a longer match than he’s had so far. Other than that we’re gearing up for Zayn vs. Neville II in two weeks and it should be glorious. Let’s get to it.

Marcus Louis vs. Tyler Breeze

Louis continues to be in a state of shock and potentially psychotic over losing his hair. He doesn’t take his towel off for a few moments as Tyler looks disgusted by Louis. Fans: “WHERE’S YOUR EYEBROWS???” Breeze says he can’t be asked to take on the uggo of all uggos and won’t be the precious to Louis’ Gollum. Marcus takes the towel off his head and Breeze is even more disturbed. Now he thinks Louis is an idiot and a freak. “NOBODY WILL EVER LOVE YOU!” Louis looks away and turns around into the Beauty Shot for the pin at 2:28. Breeze was as evil as I’ve ever seen him here and I LOVED IT.

Louis rolls out and screams as he leaves. I could go for more of this Louis Is Nuts thing as he’s selling the heck out of it. Marcus gets back in the ring and the fans think this is awkward. After a break, Louis very slowly walked out the front door of the arena.

Carmella vs. Blue Pants

Enzo says he has a surprise for Carmella (Fans: “BLUE PANTS! BLUE PANTS! BLUE PANTS!”) and of course it’s Blue Pants, complete with Big Cass humming a theme song for her. He does the entrances and the fans actually give her a standing ovation. Fans: “REMATCH! REMATCH! REMATCH!” Carmella runs her over to start and does it again with a dropkick. Off to the leg crossface from Carmella for the submission at 0:48.

Carmella laughs at Enzo post match. They better not split up Enzo and Cass.

Balor says Kidd should send a tape of their match tonight to Kidd’s uncle Bret.

Lucha Dragons vs. Tye Dillinger/Jason Jordan

Non-title. Cara and Dillinger get things going with Sin grabbing the arm and taking him back into the corner for a tag off to Kalisto. The champs keep taking turns on the arm until Dillinger takes Sin over to the corner for the tag off to Jordan. In something you don’t see all that often, Jason covers him for no count. Back to Dillinger for some stomps but we get heel miscommunication to frustrate Dillinger. The hot tag brings in Kalisto to speed things up with a very high springboard wristdrag to Tye. Cara’s suicide dive takes Tye out again and the Salida Del Sol pins Jordan at 3:35.

Rating: D+. Glorified squash here but the Dragons looked good going into their title match against the Vaudevillains at the next Takeover. The problem though is their reign hasn’t had the time to build yet, and when you’re coming off a year long title reigns, it’s kind of hard to get into one that has consisted of the rematch with the champs and potentially the feud where the titles change. At least there’s been a bit of build to the upcoming defense though.

We recap Sasha Banks costing Bayley a match against Becky Lynch last week and Charlotte making the save post match.

Kevin Owens, complete with a FIGHT t-shirt, is coming in two weeks.

Here’s Bayley with something to say. She doesn’t have a match tonight (“BOO!”) but she has to deal with something tonight. Charlotte may not be here, but she’s used to dealing with bullies like Lynch and Banks. When she was a kid she was bullied every day and when she came home from school crying, her mom told her to go back the next day and stand up to the bullies because they’re cowards. Cue Banks and Lynch to shove Bayley but she nails Sasha in the face. Becky nails her from behind though and they stomp away until the referees come out. Again, Lynch looks like a star here.

Natalya is excited for her husband to get to face Balor tonight. Tyson cuts her off (Natalya: “But I’m putting you over!”) and says Justin cost them that match because he has a knack for losing. Tyson has been working with Bret recently and is the new Hitman. Balor is a guy who can’t live up to his hype. Yeah he’s good, but he’s not THAT good. Natalya goes to hug him but Tyson has to go Facetime with the cats. She doesn’t seem too bothered by this.

Time for a silent movie starring the Vaudevillains. The Lucha Dragons are trying to rob a bank and it’s up to the Vaudevillains to stop them. But first, TRAINING MONTAGE! English does push-ups while Gotch gets in a fist fight WITH A BEAR. They go for a run before heading to the bank where they find a box of TNT. It’s the Mini Lucha Dragons behind it of course, and they wind up getting blow up, somehow making Gotch and English the NXT Tag Team Champions. Voiceover: “No Lucha Dragons were harmed in this production, but at NXT Takeover: R-Evolution, we make no such promises!” This was GREAT.

We run down the Takeover card and Sasha vs. Charlotte is confirmed.

Finn Balor vs. Tyson Kidd

Itami/Balor vs. Ascension is confirmed too. Technical sequence to start with Tyson grabbing a wristlock to take over but Balor spins him down to the mat in a nice counter. Kidd comes back with a chinlock as the fans call him Nattie’s Wife. It turns to a TYSON CHICKEN chant as Balor dropkicks him to the floor, only to have Kidd hide behind Natalya to avoid a dive.

We take a break and come back with Balor kicking Kidd from the apron but having his springboard broken up. Kidd knocks him out to the floor and follows up with a neckbreaker outside. Back in and Tyson hammers away in the corner before catapulting him face first into the bottom turnbuckle for two. Another chinlock doesn’t last that long but Kidd stops the comeback with a kick to the ribs. Tyson puts him in the Tree of Woe for some knees but stops to yell at Natalya for not helping him cheat.

There’s a running dropkick in the corner for two and we hit another chinlock. Kidd: “ASK HIM!” Referee: “He said no!” Kidd: “WELL ASK HIM IN IRISH!” Back up and Balor escapes a suplex and fires off some chops followed by a Pele. A spinning suplex gets two for Finn but he charges into a boot in the corner. Balor kicks him off the top but misses the top rope stomp. Tyson can’t hook the Sharpshooter so he sends Balor face first into the buckle again. The springboard elbow hits knees so Finn hits a running knee to the face. Up top again for the stomp but Ascension runs in for the DQ at 14:41.

Rating: B-. Good but not great match here as they were just getting going near the end. Balor continues to look like a much more well rounded guy than Itami, but again I need to see Itami in a long match like this one to get a better feel for him. Kidd is still the work horse of this show and I’m glad that he’s getting some shots on Raw as a reward.

Itami comes in for the save and a big pull apart brawl ends the show.

Overall Rating: B-. I want to see R-Evolution. That’s the key to TV shows like this and it’s worked like a charm here. They spent last week building up the main event and this week it was all about almost every other match on the card. This was a good, entertaining episode with more wrestling to balance out last week’s talking heavy show. Good stuff again and the big show looks like it could blow the roof off the place again.

Results

Tyler Breeze b. Marcus Louis – Beauty Shot

Carmella b. Blue Pants – Leg crossface

Lucha Dragons b. Tye Dillinger/Jason Jordan – Salida Del Sol to Jordan

Finn Balor vs. Tyson Kidd went to a no contest when the Ascension interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book on the History of the Royal Rumble at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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NXT
Date: September 25, 2014
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Jason Albert, Renee Young, Rich Brennan

The seeds are being planted for the big showdown of Neville vs. Zayn but they seem to be doing a very slow build. Tonight we get one of the roadblocks out of the way as Tyson Kidd is getting his FINAL title shot at Adrian Neville. Their first two matches have been solid so this one should be entertaining well. We’re also getting the Lucha Dragons defending against the Ascension. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Mojo Rawley vs. Bull Dempsey

The brawl starts in the aisle before Mojo hammers him into the ring for the opening bell. Dempsey runs him over and a top rope headbutt ends Mojo in 46 seconds.

Video on Baron Corbin, talking about being a different breed while getting on a motorcycle. Cool stuff.

Tyler Breeze comes to the ring as Mojo is leaving so Breeze beats him up too.

Tyler Breeze vs. Justin Gabriel

Justin gets stomped down in the corner to start but goes after Tyler’s knee. He slams Breeze face first into the mat for two but stops for a dance. A kick to the chest gets two but he has to bail out of the 450. Instead a STO and springboard splash get two for Justin but he misses the 450, allowing Breeze to finish him with the Beauty Shot at 3:58.

Rating: D+. There was a nice story to this one as the veteran Gabriel underestimated Breeze and got caught when Breeze took everything he had. Breeze has gotten way better than I ever thought he would and Gabriel is good enough to make anyone look good. The action wasn’t great but it told a good story.

Natalya asks Regal for one more shot for Kidd. Regal grants it but this is his LAST shot. I believe this was already advertised.

Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley

Bayley takes her into the corner to start but gets caught in a sunset flip for two. Bliss flips her down and Bayley is so impressed that she high fives Alexa. Bayley cranks on an armbar but Bliss tries to roll out, only to have Bayley roll with her in a nice counter. Back up and Bliss misses a standing moonsault before walking into the Belly to Bayley for the pin at 3:21.

Rating: C-. This was more fun from the NXT girls with Bliss having the perfect smile to go with the flips and Bayley being as adorable as is humanly possible. The wrestling wasn’t much again but this was more for an athletic display than anything else. Bayley getting a clean win should help bring her back up.

Post match Bayley calls out Charlotte and says she hasn’t been able to sleep since Takeover. Her mom was there to watch her lose. Bayley asks for one more match and the fans are WAY into the idea. Charlotte says Bayley earned her respect, but the second verse would be the same as the first. The rematch is on for next week.

Enzo, Cass and Carmella come to the Performance Center. Apparently she lied about being Enzo’s sister to get in the building which is ok with Enzo. She wants to get in the ring but Enzo says she has to get in shape first and start acting like a Diva. Carmella steps off camera while Enzo gets on the treadmill and clarifies that he and Carmella aren’t a couple. She comes back on camera in a sports bra and shorts, showing off quite the physique. Cass: “HOW YOU DOIN?” Enzo falls off the treadmill and might have hurt himself.

Marcus Louis vs. Enzo Amore

Louis is doing the Kurt Angle wig with wrestling headgear to hide being bald. Enzo talks about Louis eating pie and having a side effect. They list off possible types of pies and call Louis SAWFT. Louis hammers away to start and knocks Enzo to the apron, but Amore rips off the wig. Marcus is terrified and gets rolled up at 2:37.

Kidd says he’ll get his own title shot and says he has all the power in the title match.

Tag Team Titles: Lucha Dragons vs. Ascension

Ascension is challenging. Konnor runs over Cara to start but Kalisto springboards in to take Konnor down. Off to Viktor who hammers Kalisto in the corner but gives up a tag to Cara. Sin headscissors Viktor down and powerbombs Kalisto into a moonsault for two. Back to Konnor for a hard headlock on Kalisto before throwing him around for two more. Viktor comes in and cranks on a chinlock as we take a break.

Back with Konnor launching Kalisto across the ring before putting on a chinlock. An over the shoulder backbreaker/middle rope elbow combo gets two on Kalisto and it’s back to the reverse chinlock. Konnor runs him over for two and puts on a bodyscissors to keep Kalisto in trouble. Back to Viktor for a hard uppercut but Kalisto slips over the back to escape a slam and there’s the hot tag to Cara. Ascension actually cleans house but here’s Hideo Itami for a distraction. Kalisto pops back up for the Salida Del Sol and the pin on Viktor at 10:23.

Rating: C+. This was the usual power vs. speed at this point but the announcers made it clear that Itami was coming in the entire time. I’m kind of glad they got rid of the rematch so we don’t have it hanging over us the entire time. That being said, do we really need Itami doing the WWE finish in NXT? Really?

Ascension chases Itami to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Pretty basic episode of NXT here with all of the action working well enough and the stories all advancing. They’re getting good at the week to week booking again with stuff like the Kidd vs. Neville match coming at some point and the Women’s Title match next week. Good stuff again this week with the promotion getting back to the way it works best.

Results

Bull Dempsey b. Mojo Rawley – Top rope headbutt

Tyler Breeze b. Justin Gabriel – Beauty Shot

Bayley b. Alexa Bliss – Belly to Bayley

Enzo Amore b. Marcus Louis – Rollup

Lucha Dragons b. Ascension – Salida Del Sol to Viktor

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of 1997 WCW Monday Nitro Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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