NXT Review and Reactions 27/1
Jason Jordan and Chad Gable VS Blake and Murpthy
Last week we saw in a backstage segment that Jason Jordan and Chad Gable would challenge former NXT Tag Team Champion, Buddy Murpthy and Wesley Blake and last night it was that match that kick started the night. Some of you will know by now that these two teams are without a doubt my two favourite Tag teams in both NXT and all of the WWE. I have been the biggest fan of Blake and Murpthy from the moment I first saw them compete and my love for them has only grown as time has gone on. I still believe they are one of the best and most promising tag teams in NXT and the WWE as a whole and their potential is insane. With Jordan and Gable I have really grown to love these guys. I have mentioned it before that I wasn't sure on the idea at first. I didn't know if it was going to work and I had my doubts but I can happily sit here and admit I was very very wrong and they are easily one of the strongest and again most promising teams in the WWE today. Back in December I was lucky enough to see both these teams compete at NXT Takeover London and they both were big stand outs for me. Jordan and Gable in particular were a huge hit across the United Kingdom. I'm sure most of you would have seen online but these Gable and Jordan received a massive reaction every single city they performed in throughout the UK tour and the arena went insane for them on the last day in London. Pitting them against each other last night was a little dream for me and it was easy for me to sit back and enjoy this one. Both teams bring something very different to the table and both are very special in their own way. The tag team division in NXT right now is red hot. There are so many to strong tag teams all of witch could easily be champion and even though the championship picture is currently dominated by Enzo and Big Cas every other team is taking the time to build momentum and make their way up to earning a title shot, making last nights match even more important. Both Blake and Murpthy and the American Alphas (I actually really like the name) have been on our screens dominating and gaining momentum (especially Gable and Jordan) and so whoever was set to walk away with this victory was going to benefit massively. The former champions, Blake and Murpthy tried to corner Jordan at the very start of the match but the comfortable mat competitor was able to turn things around sending Murpthy into the canvas. Once Gable made the tag and took on most of the action the former champions were still unable to keep control of the match for a long period of time. Gable always had something waiting to pull out of the bag, countering moves left right and centre, delivering a series of arm drags, and showcasing he's fantastic ability. He was able to constantly keep both Blake and Murpthy on their toes throughout he's time in the match and while Blake and Murpthy were able to cheat their way into dominate moments they were short lived and once Jordan found himself back in action things only got better for the American Alphas. JJ has such great skill, speed, and power, a trio of attributes that make him the perfect superstar and once again massively assisted in another big victory for him and Gable. With yet another big win on their side over another victory over former tag team champions (adding to the list including the Vaudevillians and the Ascension) it's clear that Jason Jordan and Chad Gable are coming after those tag team championships and they aren't wasting any time.
Liv Morgan VS Nia Jax
The only divas match to take place last night was a one on one between Liv Morgan and Nia Jax who was of course accompanied to the ring by Eva Marie. I will be honest, I was seriously impressed with Nia Jax and her performance at NXT Takeover London. It was the one night that made me change the way I see her as she showcased so much more in the ring allowing us to see what she was really capable of. There's a lot more the WWE can do with her than we may think right now and I'm hopeing that they have something special planed for her in the long run and her alliance with Eva Marie will only certain that the longer that it is active. Liv Morgan on the other hand is a women I really cannot wait to see more of. We have only seen little snip-its of her on NXT TV over the past couple of months but the little that we have seen of her has been pretty impressive. She's small but clearly has a wide move set with a lot to show. I'm predicting that with in about four to six months time when the women's division is NXT is forced to have a little change up, Liv will be one of the girls we cannot get enough of and will be impressing us more than anyone. Once again last night, Morgan tried her hardest to put up a fight against the much bigger Nia Jax and was able to quickly get the crowd behind her but her efforts fell flat as Nia Jax took control of ninety nine percent of the match and in the end picked up another easy victory. Like I said, there is a great deal the WWE can do with Nia Jax and I'm really interested in seeing what is coming her way over the next couple of months or so. Watch this space.
Alex Riley VS Bull Dempsey
Last night Alex Riley surprised us all making he's in ring return to NXT taking on Bull Dempsey. I'm not going to lie, I wasn't impressed or all that happy to see him back in an NXT ring. If you had asked me what my opinions were on Alex Riley several years back when he's career in the WWE was at it's early stages I would have given you a completely different response to today. I was honestly a big big fan and supporter of Alex Riley back then. I thought he had so much potential and was bound to be something big and one to watch in the future. However, sitting here today I am almost stuck saying the complete opposite. In all fairness I did really like he's little feud with Kevin Owens. I thought it was a very well written storyline that really helped Kevin Owens; but lets be honest, it did no good for Riley what so ever. In my personal opinion I prefer to see Riley work as a commentator. I think he does a great job at it and is something the commentary team needs. I liked how he was written back into wrestling during he's feud with Kevin Owens but in the long run, working back as an in ring competitor isn't going to work. Now, I could be completely wrong and he could go on to have a fantastic run but I'm just not very optimistic at the moment with Riley. The direction they seem to going in with him at the moment appears to be pretty solid but how long he will remain interesting and relevant is seriously questionable. He did have a great showing against Dempsey last night and went on to cut a fairly strong backstage promo that was filmed well.
Elias Samson VS John Skyler
When I attended the NXT Takeover London show in December I was able to see Elias Samson perform live and I will be completely honest and say that my opinion of him hasn't really changed since that night. I'm just not sold on him at all. I know the WWE took some time to build up he's arrival in NXT and have been giving him a fairly solid push since he's debut but I'm just not invested in him in the slightest. Now, I am hopeing that will change in the future and I'm sure it will do but right now I don't like the gimmick, I'm not entertained by it or hooked by it and I don't believe it will be a success in the long run. He is yet to do anything that really amazes me and makes him stand out, and the crowd reactions haven't been strong enough. Saying all that, it is very very early days and you never know, in a couple of months time I could be sitting here saying that Elias Samson is the best thing in NXT but at the moment I'm quite far away from saying such a thing. Last night Elias went one on one with John Skyler in a simple squash match to put Elias over. A clean, impressive pin fall has kept Elias' momentum at a high.
Baron Corbin VS Samoa Joe VS Sami Zayn
This weeks NXT main event was a big one as Baron Corbin, Sami Zayn, and Samoa Joe competed in a massive triple threat to determine the number one contender for Finn Balor's NXT Championship. Every single one of these competitors believed they had a legitimate right at a one on one match against Balor for the championship. Sami Zayn never got he's rematch against Kevin Owens for the title back at NXT Takeover Unstoppable, Joe believed he deserved another shot at capturing gold after he's phenomenal performance against Balor at Takeover London, and after a huge victory of Apollo Crews and a trail of momentum, Corbin simply believed he was the uncrowned NXT champion. To settle the score NXT general manager William Regal set up a triple threat to determine the number one contender and that brings us back to last night. Zayn very quickly found himself at a disadvantage with the two larger competitors backing him into a corner, however, to our surprise Corbin went straight to take out Joe before anyone could lay a real finger on Zayn. I'll be honest, it won't come to any surprise that I was personally backing Corbin. I was completely aware he wasn't going to be winning this one but it didn't stop me yelling at my TV screen like a complete crazy
person for him. I did think he had a decent showing but it in my opinion he wasn't able to show off as much as I would have liked and I didn't feel as though he got enough offence but saying that he did have a couple of impressive spots and he did feel like he had a place in the match. For me, the stand out of this match was Samoa Joe. He was the one I couldn't keep my eyes off. He once again had a very impressive all round performance and always seemed to make everything about him. He had a clear goal and walked into this match with an obvious game plan unlike Corbin and Sami. Zayn of course had a fantastic showing as well, witch was to be expected anyway.He was the only one of the three who has been NXT Champion already knew what what at stake more than any of the three. If I'm being honest I do believe that if there is anyone that could and would be a two time NXT champion it's Sami Zayn and I cannot avoid the fact that there is a big part of me that really wants to see that happen. Now, onto that controversial ending, With Corbin stuck in a submission from both Joe and Zayn at the same time he was left tapping out to both superstars. So who was the winner? The night ended with William Regal declaring that he would need to re-watch the tape leaving us all hanging.
Last night was yet another solid episode of NXT. A couple of interesting parts of the night but an all round good show with a fantastic main event. Remember you can let me know what you thought of the show by leaving a comment bellow or by tweeting me at @TezangiVictoria.
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