WWE NXT Review - January 16, 2019

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

The Street Profits def. The Metro Brothers

It's interesting to note that The Metro Brothers were actually the team who Street Profits beat in their NXT TV debut back in August 2017. It's amazing they have yet to get a shot at the NXT Tag Team Championship, but hopefully that changes soon, especially following their recent comments that they have gold in the sights. They were a bit more aggressive in this outing than usual and the crowd was into everything they did. The Forgotten Sons attacked them afterward, so fingers crossed that's only a filler feud for Street Profits before they enter the tag title mix.

NXT Women's Champion Shayna Baszler Confronted Bianca Belair

We don't hear from Belair too much in the ring, so this was a great way to establish her as the fan favorite in her upcoming NXT Women's Championship opportunity at TakeOver: Phoenix. She cut a real good promo about wanting to take the title from Baszler, and Baszler's rebuttal was solid as well. Belair's slap to Baszler at the end was merely the icing on the cake. This was an excellent verbal exchange that only added to my excitement for their match.

Dominik Dijakovic def. Jaoude

Dijakovic continues to impress me in every way, and for a guy his size, he's an incredible athlete. I could honestly see Vince McMahon getting one look at him and wanting him on the main roster tomorrow, but obviously, he should be in NXT for a while longer for more seasoning. This was another short and sweet performance from him and I'm looking forward to his first real rivalry sooner rather than later.

Johnny Gargano def. Humberto Carrillo

Carrillo actually just debuted as a member of the Cruiserweight division on last night's edition of 205 Live. His match with Buddy Murphy didn't exactly light the world on fire in my opinion, and maybe it was because of the environment, but this was a way better bout and a much stronger showing from Carrillo. Gargano was the perfect opponent for him, because although the outcome was never in doubt, he helped Carrillo shine in defeat.

Kassius Ohno def. Keith Lee

Damn, this was a hell of a hard-hitting affair! It wasn't fast-paced by any means, but I appreciated the intensity they brought to the table and they worked well together. Ohno has been beaten by pretty much everyone on the NXT roster, so it was smart to have win with a low blow and not in clean fashion (therefore not damaging Lee too much). On a side note, I loved when Percy Watson mentioned on commentary post-match that Ohno became what he hated, referencing his rivalry with Hideo Itami from the summer of 2017.

Overall Show

TakeOver: Phoenix is fast approaching, and the lineup for the event is virtually complete. A lot of time has been dedicated to building up another encounter between Ohno and Matt Riddle in recent weeks, so I assume that will soon be added as well. As for this episode, it was enjoyable all the way through with several fun squashes, storylines progressing, a quality main event, and strong hype for TakeOver.