WWE NXT Review - April 3, 2014

Emma applies the Emma Lock on Sasha Banks.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Emma def. Sasha Banks

Emma and Banks are two of the best women wrestlers NXT has at the moment (aside from Paige, of course), so it only made sense that they had a nice match together. The live crowd loved Emma as usual and Banks garnered good heat. I have liked to see the match go a bit longer (three minutes is rather short for a women's match on NXT), but they made the most of the time they were allotted.


NXT Tag Team Champions The Ascension def. Jack Hurley and John Vandal (Non-title)

Same match, different week. Seriously, if you honestly expect me to add any analysis on this match, then you clearly haven't been watching NXT long enough. The tag team division in NXT is essentially dead, so here's hoping more teams are formed in the foreseeable future. If nothing else, the crowd is gradually getting behind The Ascension, though I'm not sure if they are intended to be babyfaces.

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Corey Graves takes control of Sami Zayn.

Brodus Clay def. Xavier Woods

I liked the fact the commentators mentioned the history between these two instead of completely ignoring it. Woods was able to score some offense over Clay, but Clay was mostly dominant throughout. It's terrible how much Woods has been underutilized and how much they've ruined his character, but at least Clay looks to be on the upswing finally. If he isn't going to be featured on the main roster, he might as well go back to his roots and make a name for himself in NXT. He cut a good promo after the match that was reminiscent of the promos he used to cut on the fourth season of NXT (you know, back when it was still a competition) three years ago. I love the idea of him going after the NXT Championship and the matches he can have with Adrian Neville should be an interesting clash of styles.


Tyler Breeze def. Yoshi Tatsu

Is Tatsu the new designated jobber for everyone on NXT? Either way, I still couldn't care less about him. This was a complete squash match for Breeze, who seems to be in a holding pattern at the moment. This was another nice win for him, but I hope to see him inserted into a meaningful feud sooner rather than later. Given his talent, he should not be left directionless.


Corey Graves def. Sami Zayn

Though it was a solid match early on, Graves and Zayn definitely picked up the pace and delivered a fun bout down the stretch. Not only that, but they told an excellent story with Zayn's head trauma and he sold that perfectly. Graves looked vicious in his attack on Zayn and Zany was protected in defeat by not tapping out to Zayn. I have enjoyed the feud between them thus far and this was another entertaining chapter in their rivalry. I'm happy to see it continue and look forward to the ultimate rubber match between the two.


Overall Show

While last week's show may have had a "vengeance" theme to it, I enjoyed this week's show as a whole a lot more. The action was entertaining, several storylines were furthered, and everything served a purpose. Even Breeze's boring squash match over Tatsu was worth watching if only for Breeze's awesome entrance. The main event was also well worth going out of your way to see, so I'd suggest taking some time out of your day to check out the latest episode of NXT when you get the chance.

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