WWE NXT Review - December 20, 2017

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Undisputed Era def. SAnitY to Win the NXT Tag Team Championship

Most of SAnitY's matches have been entertaining this year, especially when they're in the ring with the right opponents. Needless to say, Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish got a great match out of them here and the second half was especially enjoyable. I would argue that the interference from Adam Cole and Nikki Cross at ringside actually added to the action because Undisputed Era will typically do whatever it takes to win, and the title change was a genuine surprise because it's rare championships change hands on NXT TV. However, it was the right move to make and I'd keep the straps on O'Reilly and Fish for a while.

Lars Sullivan def. Roderick Strong in an NXT Championship No. 1 Contender's Qualifying Match

Sullivan has really impressed me thus far in his NXT run with what he's capable of given how green he still is. Obviously, having him work with Strong was a huge benefit because Strong is such a believable babyface and his offense is awesome. He sold like a champ for Sullivan, who came across like an absolute beast. The undefeated Sullivan advancing was the correct call, but I hope Strong gets back to being in a steady program in the near future.

WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne def. Tyler Bate

After their first two matches earlier this year delivered in a big way (I still consider their TakeOver: Chicago match to be WWE's best of 2017), I was anxiously anticipating this rematch and it was every bit as exceptional as I expected it to be and then some. Seriously, this was a masterpiece that told a stellar story with it starting out as a technical wrestling matchup and eventually dissolving into a hard-hitting and highly exciting affair with a bit of brawling mixed in, too. I'm not even sure what to say about the final stretch other than that it was so damn fantastic. These two deserve all the credit in the world for putting on such a tremendous trilogy of matches this year.

Overall Show

While Raw and SmackDown Live phone it in as the year comes to a close, NXT continues to fire on all cylinders, and this just might have been the best all-around episode in some time (which is saying something because the show is always worth watching). The main event alone was an instant classic, but the other two matches were also excellent and storyline significant as well (hell, we got a title change!). NXT won't be slacking off for its last show of the year, either, as next week that NXT Championship No. 1 Contender's Fatal 4-Way will be held and the NXT Women's Championship will be defended.