WWE NXT Review - July 13, 2016

Finn Balor and Shinsuke Nakamura square off.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Rhyno Interrupted NXT Champion Samoa Joe

Where the hell were these tremendous promos from Joe during his time in TNA? Actually, I can answer my own question: it's because he's been much more motivated since arriving in NXT last year, and can you blame him? The guy has been on a major roll lately and it has shown in his matches and mic work. This was another gem of a promo from him and I was happy Rhyno kept his part short and sweet. Rhyno is fresh off a return to NXT last week, so he was a logical temporary opponent for Joe until after Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Finn Balor. I don't know how good the match will be, but if anything, it will be a nice win for Joe heading into his next title defense.


Shinsuke Nakamura def. Finn Balor

No one gives main event matches a big fight feel quite like NXT. From the entrances to the introductions to the energy in the arena, electricity was in the air before the bell even rang. As expected, Balor and Nakamura worked extraordinarily well together and put on an absolute clinic. The crowd reaction was split throughout the bout and that's exactly the type of reaction you want for a babyface vs. babyface matchup. I actually liked how they go didn't go all out and didn't do anything too insane. I appreciated how they only kicked out of each other's finishers once and left it at that. It was a television match after all, yet it still lived up to the hype in being an epic encounter for the ages. The show of respect from both men afterward was wonderful as well and a perfect send-off for Balor if this was indeed his swan song from NXT.

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Overall Show

Similar to last week's show, this edition of NXT took the "less is more" approach (which I am always a fan of) and it resulted in an excellent episode on the whole. It opened with a solid segment that successfully set up a match for next week and, well, what more can be said about the awesomeness that was Nakamura vs. Balor? NXT has been firing on all cylinders since TakeOver: The End and I surely hope the rest of the road to Brooklyn will be equally entertaining. I have a strong feeling it will be.