WrestleRant
  • Home
  • Columnist Corner
    • WWE Reviews >
      • Raw Reviews
      • SmackDown Reviews
      • NXT Reviews
      • Other >
        • 205 Live Reviews
        • NXT UK Reviews
        • Main Event Reviews
        • Superstars Reviews
        • ECW Reviews
    • AEW Reviews >
      • Dynamite Reviews
      • Dark Reviews
      • AEW PPV Reviews
    • More >
      • IMPACT Reviews
      • ROH Reviews
      • NWA Reviews >
        • Shockwave Reviews
        • NWA PPV Reviews
      • LU Reviews
  • Week in Review
  • Audio
    • WrestleRant Radio
    • Interviews
    • Audio Archive
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • About
    • Contact Us

Columnist Corner

WWE NXT Review - April 27, 2016

4/27/2016

Comments

 
PictureElias Sampson takes control of Nakamura.
By Graham "GSM" Matthews

NXT Women's Champion Asuka def. Eva Marie (Non-title)

I feared they would go back to Eva challenging for the title after Bayely received her rematch, but I assume that won't be the case since they gave the match away here. And that's a good thing. Rather, it looks like Nia Jax will be in line for a title shot sooner rather than later. She's not much better, but still a step up. I commend Eva for her improvement over the past year, but she remains barely passable in the ring. At the very least, Asuka carried her to a competent contest, though it lasted longer than I would have liked. Hopefully they keep Asuka vs. Jax on the back burner long enough so they can fully focus on Asuka vs. Bayley II at the next special.


The Revival def. Jeff Parker and Matt Lee

This was a squash match done right: short, sweet and effective. They're great old school heels and it's such a treat to watch. To their credit, the two local athletes sold their offense very well and were more animated than most jobbers. The match was kept brief as it should have been. I'll never get tired of seeing The Shatter Machine, either. I enjoyed Scott Dawson's post-match promo even more and I love how they'll be going on a tear until they get their title rematch with American Alpha.

PictureCould Eva Marie defeat Asuka?
The Hype Bros def. Blake and Murphy

It's crazy to think Zack Ryder won the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania one day after this was taped, only to lose it the following day on Raw. And nothing has changed! He's back to being a nobody on the main roster, which is a shame, but Mojo Rawley must be thrilled The Hype Bros are sticking together as a result. This was a pretty formulaic match and Blake and Murphy are solid in the ring, but per usual, their characters do nothing for me. For what it's worth, the commentators mentioned they haven't been on the same page as Alexa Bliss (who was nowhere to be seen at ringside) as of late, so perhaps that's a tease for their inevitable split. Also, The Revival wasted no time in staying true to their promise by attacking The Hype Bros afterward.


​Carmella def. Aliyah

Anyone who watched the first season of "Breaking Ground" on WWE Network should be familiar with Aliyah, and personally, she never appealed to me on the show. She seemed like a hell of a whiner for someone who thought they were ready to debut on NXT TV a lot sooner than she actually was. She was involved in a women's Battle Royal a few months ago, but this was her first singles match on the program. Carmella isn't the greatest in-ring worker herself, but this was decent. Hopefully Carmella can hone her craft and build credibility as a singles star now that Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady have moved up to the main roster without her.


Shinsuke Nakamura def. Elias Sampson

I saw this match at the NXT Lowell live event last Thursday and this was essentially the same thing with Nakamura taking the center spotlight. I've discussed time and time again how Sampson's gimmick doesn't do anything for me, so I won't bore you with that here, but let's just say I liked seeing Nakamura making quick work of him here. It was a showcase for Shinsuke and not much else, but a fun showcase at that. Nakamura's entrance will never not give me goosebumps.


Overall Show

I thought they would be showing the full NXT Championship match between Finn Balor and Samoa Joe in full and not just the highlights, so that was slightly disappointing. But hey, who am I to complain? I was there live! You can read my review of the show here by the way. As for the rest of this episode, it was mediocre by NXT standards. None of the matches stood out in a major way, but on the bright side, The Revival made a statement and Nakamura was in action, so it wasn't a complete waste of an hour.

Comments

    Categories

    All
    #AskGSM
    Cruiserweight Classic
    Halftime Heat
    Hidden Gems
    Lists/Rankings
    Mae Young Classic
    Mixed Match Challenge
    News
    NJPW
    Opinion
    Previews
    Retro Reviews
    Reviews
    RJ's Two Cents
    Satire
    SummerSlam Recall
    The Deadly Draw
    Tribute To The Troops
    Worlds Collide
    WrestleMania Recall
    WWE Starrcade


    Archives

    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010

    RSS Feed

©2021 WrestleRant. All Rights Reserved.
  • Home
  • Columnist Corner
    • WWE Reviews >
      • Raw Reviews
      • SmackDown Reviews
      • NXT Reviews
      • Other >
        • 205 Live Reviews
        • NXT UK Reviews
        • Main Event Reviews
        • Superstars Reviews
        • ECW Reviews
    • AEW Reviews >
      • Dynamite Reviews
      • Dark Reviews
      • AEW PPV Reviews
    • More >
      • IMPACT Reviews
      • ROH Reviews
      • NWA Reviews >
        • Shockwave Reviews
        • NWA PPV Reviews
      • LU Reviews
  • Week in Review
  • Audio
    • WrestleRant Radio
    • Interviews
    • Audio Archive
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • About
    • Contact Us