By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Triple H Addressed the NXT Universe

It is always cool to see Triple H make appearances on NXT every so often, as it goes to show that he truly does believe that the stars of the show are the future. The Full Sail University crowd took a liking to him, and I don't mind that despite the fact he is supposed to be a heel. He delivered his promo as a top company official and not as a heel, which was the way it should have been. His promo was kept short and sweet and kicked off the show on a high note. I am extremely excited that NXT will be shown on the WWE Network upon its debut in February and that it will be broadcast live that first week. It will give the show and its talent a great amount of exposure.


Adrian Neville def. Tyler Breeze

As entertaining of an act that Breeze is, I think many people often forget the fact that he is very good in the ring. He is more than capable of holding his own in the ring and proved that in this match against Neville. Correct me if I am wrong, but this might have been Breeze's longest match to date. That being said, it was also his best. They worked a high-paced, entertaining contest that the live crowd was very into. I don't mind Neville picking up the victory, but I hope it doesn't mean that his feud with Breeze is over already. Breeze can easily regain heat next week (or on another edition) by attacking Neville backstage or something to keep the rivalry alive.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Kofi Kingston def. Curtis Axel

Neither characters mean much at the moment, so it was hard for the crowd to get into the action, but at least Kingston's recent clean victory over Randy Orton on Raw boosted his credibility a bit. While Axel is still lost in the shuffle, at least he is a solid worker. He worked a good match with Kingston, which was given an ample amount of time. Kingston winning via a roll-up was strange since I see no reason why WWE should bother protecting Axel at this point, but it was a nice win for Kingston, regardless.


Damien Sandow def. Sin Cara

I am glad to see Sandow evolving his character by developing a mean streak. He had an impressive showing against John Cena on Raw and had a fine match against Cara here. The match was nothing out of the ordinary, and Ryback's random interruption at the end (more on that later) made the match feel like an afterthought more than anything. However, I was happy to see Sandow go over. It looks like Cara's mini-push is officially over, which is a shame considering he beat a former world champion twice last month.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

The Usos def. Bray Wyatt and Daniel Bryan by Disqualification

It was a well wrestled match for what it was, but it is just so hard to take Bryan seriously as a heel. His mannerisms and attire are great and everything, but live crowds just don't want to boo him. I was numb to the non-finish since we have seen so many of them in Wyatt Family matches as of late, but it was a nice way of setting up the Steel Cage tag match for later in the night. It also gave good rub to The Usos, who continue to prove that they are tag team championship material.


John Cena def. Damien Sandow

While this obviously wasn't as great as their World Heavyweight Championship match from October (which I am glad they acknowledged before the bout), it was still a strong effort from both men. The ending outcome was in never in doubt, but at least Sandow looked credible in defeat. Honestly, I would much rather see him work a competitve match against Cena than see him feud with The Great Khali. Kudos to WWE for also making Cena's first match of the new year feel important. By the way, is Cena back to wearing jean shorts on a regular basis? I surely hope not.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

The Usos vs. Luke Harper and Erik Rowan Went to a Double Count-out

It was another enjoyable match from The Usos and The Wyatt Family, as these two teams always work well together. It was given good time, and the non-finish was smart in protecting both teams. However, as high as I am on The Usos and believe they should be tag team champions sooner rather than later, would it be best to give Harper and Rowan the win here with The Wyatt Family building momentum as of late? At least they got their heat back when they along with Bray Wyatt and Daniel Bryan attacked The Usos. Unlike on Old School Raw, no tension was teased between Bryan and the other members of The Wyatt Family, and Michael Cole mentioned on commentary that his transformation was "complete", so he appears to be a heel for the time being.


The Miz Hosted 'Miz TV' with Big Show

It is hard to take Show's character seriously after months of crying and appearing in a diaper, but this segment was a good start. He looked aggressive on Raw in his confrontation with Brock Lesnar, and this promo relayed that aggression nicely. Miz's role was limited and Paul Heyman was solid here as well. I can't say I am all that excited for a match between Lesnar and Show at the Royal Rumble (their first match taking place at the event 11 years ago), but at least it has now been confirmed and it will give Lesnar a dominant victory under his belt if he were to win.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Dixie Carter Called Out TNA World Heavyweight Champion AJ Styles

I don't know how smart it was of TNA to put two of their weaker mic workers in the same segment together, but Styles delivered one of his best promos to date. Carter was mediocre per usual (although she was good at times), but Styles saved the segment with his strong verbal exchange with Magnus, who also performed well on the mic. This was solid hype for the champion vs. champion match for later in the evening.


World Tag Team Champions The Bro-Mans def. Joseph Park and Eric Young (Non-title)

Has the tag team division ever been in worse shape than it is right now? The Bro-Mans have done next to nothing since winning the titles at Bound For Glory in October. They are a joke of an act, and competing in matches against fellow comedy tag teams such as Park and Young won't help their credibility. DJ Zema is an outrageously annoying act that garners go-away heat as opposed to actual heat. Is the Park/Abyss storyline still going on or was that randomly dropped again? It was business as usual for him, which was strange.