WWE NXT Review - August 29, 2012

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Hunico and Camacho def. Mike Dalton and Jason Jordan

Dalton and Jordan had previously scored an upset victory over Hunico and Camacho, which confused me since it looked like Hunico and Camacho were being built up. I suppose the point of that was to make Dalton and Jordan look competitive here and make viewers think they had a chance of winning again. Of course, that wasn't the case, but this was a nice little match and a good showing from everyone involved.

The Ascension Attacked The Usos

The Usos called out The Ascension as they had unfinished business from the last time they clashed, only for The Ascension to ambush them from behind and lay a brutal beating on them. It was rare we actually saw talking segment (or something that wasn't a match) take place in the ring and not backstage, so this was a refreshing change of pace to breath new life into their feud.

Big E Langston def. Chase Donovan

This reminded me quite a bit the short squash matches Baron Corbin used to have in NXT in 2014-2015. He would hit only a move or two (including his finisher) before putting his opponent away in decisive fashion. Langston did the same here and looked extremely impressive as a result. That was the best way to book him early on because it made viewers take notice of him immediately.

Seth Rollins def. Jinder Mahal in the Finals of the Gold Rush Tournament to Win the NXT Championship

I really, really loved how this was given a big fight feel between NXT General Manager Dusty Rhodes' introduction, Howard Finkel announcing the combatants to the ring, and the NXT roster standing on the stage throughout the bout. I never thought I would say that about a Mahal match, but to his credit, he was excellent here and was a fantastic foil for Rollins. They worked wonderfully together and had the crowd engaged in the action the entire time. The final few minutes were especially enjoyable, and needless to say, Rollins was the right choice to be crowned the inaugural NXT Champion. He set the bar high for future title holders.

Overall Show

Considering the first-ever NXT Champion is crowned on this show, I would say it's a fairly newsworthy edition of NXT. Definitely go out your way to watch the main event, but the rest of the episode holds up as well. Hunico and Camacho bounced back with a victory, Big E built momentum, and The Usos and The Ascension furthered their feud, so all in all, this was a strong show.