WWE NXT Review - July 3, 2014

Adrian Neville comes to the aid of Sami Zayn.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Colin Cassady def. Sylvester LeFort

The pre-match routine from Cassady and Enzo Amore was longer than the actual match and I'm not complaining. Cassady has shown in past matches that he's still very much green in the ring, so short matches work to his benefit. As said last week, it's great to see Cassady and Amore back together as they make for a very entertaining duo. This helped build towards to an eventual tag match between the two teams and kicked off the night on a fun note.


NXT Women's Champion Charlotte and Sasha Banks def. Bayley and Becky Lynch

I really like the team of Bayley and Becky as both have similar gimmicks in being charismatic babyface Divas. They had an interesting dynamic with the heel team and thus had a very good match. I was glad to see get as much time as it did and Lynch impressed in her second match. It was logical for the BFFs to pick up the victory, but it was nice that it didn't erase any past tension the two had. Based off the backstage bit, their split is now official and I'm intrigued as to which one of them will be the one to go face.

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Sasha Banks picks up the victory for her team.

CJ Parker def. Steve Culter

The last incarnation of Parker's character was absolutely deplorable, so it's great that he's been repackaged completely. The whole "eco-friendly" stuff can be a bit strange, but it's original and it draws heat from the crowd. From the new look to the new entrance theme to the new finisher, Parker has totally reinvented himself. I'm still not a fan of his by any stretch of the imagination, but he's gradually turning his go away heat into legitimate heat. Xavier Woods hasn't meant anything for so long that I'm not sure what this feud will do to help him, but hopefully it helps gets Woods back on the right track after being misused on the main roster.
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Renee Young Interviewed Tyson Kidd

Kidd has been further his heel turn in excellent fashion as of late and this interview was no exception. He came across as phony at times and I loved he said that nothing was off limits only to walk off when Young asked him about his marital problems with Natayla. Kidd has never been known to be the best talker, but it's segments like this one that will help him improve and thrive. 


Sami Zayn def. Justin Gabriel

On paper, Zayn vs. Gabriel has the potential to be a very enjoyable match and I'd certainly say that this bout lived up to my expectations. It was slow paced early on, but they definitely delivered in the final few minutes and captured the crowd's attention. Zayn picking up the victory was logical, but the post-match heel turn from Gabriel was a pleasant surprise. I still think there's a lot of untapped potential of Kidd and Gabriel as a babyface tag team, but if they aren't going to be used on the main roster, they might as well make people care about them down in NXT by turning heel. Adrian Neville making the save set up a tag team match between the two tandems that should surely be a spectacle to watch.


Overall Show

It may not have been as jam-packed as last night, but there was still a lot of cool stuff to watch for on this show. The Divas match and the main event were excellent and Gabriel's heel turn was shocking. Like usual, it was a usual hour to sit through and suggest give it a viewing when you get the chance as several storylines were furthered and the action as a whole was entertaining.

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