WWE NXT Review - July 29, 2015

The Vaudevillians surround Alexa Bliss.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder def. Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady

I assumed going in that we'd be getting a quick squash match from Amore and Cassady considering Dawson and Wilder have always been utilized in an enhancement role, but what we got instead was a rather competitive contest. Both teams looked good coming out of it and it was easily one of the more enjoyable tag team bouts I've seen in NXT in recent memory, which isn't saying much given how much work the division still needs. I was initially surprised to see Dawson and Wilder go over, but I liked the move as it established them as legitimate threats and might trigger a mini-feud between them in the meantime.


Baron Corbin def. Jesse Sorenson

Hey, I remember Jesse Sorenson! He was that guy from TNA who broke his neck and was unceremoniously fired before he could come back! That classy company, TNA is. In other news, it's another week with another Corbin squash. Yawn. Unless they plan to call him up to the main roster sooner rather than later as a member of The Wyatt Family (which I'm still skeptical about), I'm not sure what purpose these matches serve. We got a cool video package on Corbin several weeks back, but other than that, he has shown very little development as both a wrestler and character.

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Kevin Owens makes short work of Martin Stone.

Jason Jordan and Chad Gable def. Elias Sampson and Levis Valenzuela Jr.

While this is only their second televised match, I'm already impressed by the work of Jordan and Gable as a tandem. They have an undeniable chemistry together that really shines in their matches. This might sound like a slight exaggeration, but I honestly think they have the potential to be this generation's version of The World's Greatest Tag Team. They come across as heels in their interviews but babyfaces in the ring, but other than that, they're golden. On a side note, it was cool to get a first look at one of NXT's most recent recruits, Levis Valenzuela Jr.


Charlotte def. Dana Brooke

This is a rivalry that's been building for well over two months by this point, so it might have meant more if they were more consistent with it as they went weeks at a time without furthering their feud whatsoever. That said, I appreciate the effort to add some last minute hype to it with the pre-match video package, which was well done. The match, unfortunately, wasn't anything special leaving quite a bit to be desired, but on the bright side, Brooke held her own against Charlotte and didn't look out of place. I would have had Brooke go over with Charlotte now main roster bound, but perhaps this isn't the end of the program and that comes later.


Kevin Owens def. Martin Stone

If Stone looked familiar to any longtime NXT viewers, he once went by the ring name Danny Burch in NXT before being released from his contract in the spring of 2014. You could actually hear a faint "Welcome Back" chant before Owens made his entrance. As one would expect, this was a total squash match for Owens as it should have been that helped him get his heat back from last week. NXT aside, Owens hasn't won a match on WWE TV since the June 18 edition of SmackDown. Ridiculous. Also, Owens mocking Balor's signature pose on the top turnbuckle afterward was hilarious.


NXT Tag Team Champions Blake and Murphy def. The Vaudevillians

For a championship match, I was thoroughly surprised this match ran as short as it did. It was a decent match while it lasted, but they definitely should have devoted more time to it to make it feel more memorable. However, one of the positives is that with The Vaudevillians attacking the champs following the bout, it's a sign the feud is far from over, so hopefully they're simply saving their best work for their encounters yet to come.


Overall Show

One of NXT's more glaring issues for years has always been its neglected tag team division, so I was very happy to see this show dedicated to showcasing tag team wrestling. The opener was probably the best bout of the night, but the subsequent two tag matches were fine by NXT standards, so it's hard to complain. I could have done without the pointless Corbin squash and the Charlotte vs. Brooke match was slightly disappointing, but it was an enjoyable hour of wrestling on the whole.

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