WWE NXT Review - December 12, 2018

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

EC3 def. Bobby Fish

Undisputed Era (and specifically Fish) put EC3 on the shelf with an injury prior to TakeOver: WarGames II, so EC3 is out for vindication. I honestly don't think I've ever seen Fish in singles action on NXT TV before, but he did well and I found this to be a nice little match. It didn't last tremendously long, mind you, but I was happy that the interference from Undisputed Era was kept to a minimum and that EC3 was able to exact a measure of revenge with the win. Heavy Machinery made the save for EC3 afterward, so it looks like they might be next in line for a shot at the NXT Tag Team Championship, which is fine by me.

Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch def. The Mighty

These two teams originally clashed on NXT two weeks ago. Following Lorcan and Burch's victory, The Mighty ambushed them from behind, thus setting up this rematch. It was every bit as fun as their first encounter and I'll never get tired of the hard-hitting style that Lorcan and Burch work. The Mighty looked good here as well, but per usual, they lost again. I'm a fan of theirs, but it's incredibly difficult to get behind them when all they do is lose.

Mia Yim def. Reina Gonzalez to Qualify for the NXT Women's Championship No. 1 Contender's Fatal 4-Way Match

For those wondering, I have no clue what Gonzalez did to earn herself a qualifying match. In fact, I forgot she was even part of the NXT roster until this happened. I remember her from the first Mae Young Classic, and although she has improved a bit since then, there is still plenty of room for improvement. Yim largely had to carry her here, and although it took some effort, she managed to make this passable. Yim joins Bianca Belair and Lacey Evans in the NXT Women's Championship No. 1 Contender's Fatal 4-Way matchup taking place in two weeks.

NXT North American Champion Ricochet def. Tyler Breeze

I'd be all for Ricochet holding open challenges for his championship more often on NXT TV. The guy can work well with just about anyone and I think it'd be an exciting staple of the weekly show/TakeOver specials. Breeze was an unexpected treat, though those who read the NXT live event reports would know that he and Ricochet have faced off before and that Breeze has been wrestling on those shows for some time now. Hey, if the main roster isn't going to use him, I don't see the harm in him having a short return run in NXT. The faithful at Full Sail University were very happy to see him and are probably still upset over how he's been booked on the main roster since leaving NXT three years ago. Of course, the outcome of this was never in doubt, but it was an excellent main event that showcased the skills of both talents and raised the prestige of the NXT North American Championship.

Overall Show

In addition to everything discussed above, Johnny Gargano and Aleister Black cut pre-taped promos about next week's Steel Cage main event, and that should be fantastic. The main event, while not must-see, was enjoyable, EC3 and Fish had a solid opener, Yim punched her ticket to the Fatal 4-Way, and Lorcan and Burch continue to roll on in the tag team division. As I say almost every week, NXT is such an easy watch on Wednesday nights and already the brand appears to be locked in when it comes to TakeOver: Phoenix in January.