WWE NXT Review - July 18, 2012

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Tamina Snuka def. Kaitlyn

Although these were two established women's wrestlers from the main roster, the crowd sat on their hands for a majority of this match. I can't say I blame them because this wasn't very good. That said, by the standards of women's matches at that time in WWE, it was much better than it had any right to be, especially considering who was involved. It was interesting to note that Kaitlyn played the heel here, though her losing was odd since she had more potential than Tamina.

Jinder Mahal def. Percy Watson

Five years before he reigned as WWE Champion for six months on SmackDown Live, Mahal was viewed as a top prospect on NXT. For what reason, I'm not sure, because he was beyond boring in an almost every way. On the bright side, this match wasn't totally lifeless as Watson's offense was fun and the commentators played him up huge even in defeat. Mahal continued to attack Mahal afterward to nice heel heat.

Leo Kruger def. Richie Steamboat

Both guys were obviously works in progress, but it was clear Steamboat had plenty of potential and could have been a big star had he not suffered that career-ending injury not long after. Kruger, on the other hand, was still trying to find his footing as a character. This was a well-wrestled match and our first look at two up-and-comers facing off in a competitive contest. Kruger cheating to win would keep the feud alive.

Raquel Diaz def. Paige

This could have been a really great match if they were allowed to go all out, but instead, it was designed to be a quick squash win for Diaz in her in-ring debut for the brand so she could be showcased. To be honest, that was what it should have been anyway, so I wasn't disappointed that it was short-lived (Paige was still paying her dues by this point). Diaz's character felt like a rip-off of The Beautiful People from TNA, but at least she came across as comfortable in the role.

Justin Gabriel def. Heath Slater

These two had worked together a ton since splitting up a year earlier, so they had excellent chemistry together. However, this was a fairly basic bout for the most part up until the final two minutes or so. They told a solid story with Slater targeting Gabriel's neck and the crowd was invested in the action. Unfortunately, they botched the finish a bit and it came off as awkward, but it was a quality main event, nevertheless.

Overall Show

The fifth installment of the revamped NXT was more of the same with successful showcases and some decent wrestling, but there weren't any real rivalries for a little while. As a result, it wasn't the most compelling program for a few months, but it did get those fresh faces over. It's also worth noting that a video package aired hyping the pending debut of Big E Langston, who they were obviously grooming to be a top talent on the brand.