WWE NXT Review - June 10, 2015

Samoa Joe challenges NXT Champ Kevin Owens.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley def. Mike Rawlis and Elias Sampson

I never thought I would say this, but I actually really like the pairing of Ryder and Rawley. Ever since accepting John Cena's U.S. Open a few weeks ago, Ryder has looked more motivated than ever and he was welcomed with open arms by the Full Sail University crowd. I admire Rawley's intensity, but he's never shown any real progression in the ring, so hopefully a team with Ryder could hide his weaknesses. The long absence definitely did Rawley some good as he wasn't vehemently booed by the crowd this time around.


Emma def. Blue Pants

The reaction Blue Pants receives every time she enters always makes me laugh. And apparently, according to the Full Sail University crowd, it was her birthday, so happy birthday to Blue Pants! This wasn't much more than a glorified squash match for Emma, but it was still fun while it lasted. Emma continues to shine as a heel and I'd love to see her success translated over to the main roster. I'd be shocked if she wasn't already signed to a contract because she's perfect in her role as the underdog who loses more often than not.

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Becky Lynch finishes off her opponent.

Tyler Breeze def. Bull Dempsey

Dempsey's been M.I.A. for a while now and while he's fine in the ring, he's been damaged goods since his feud with Baron Corbin earlier this year. And is Breeze supposed to be a babyface now? He didn't do anything here that would make you think so, as it was a pretty straightforward win for Breeze. Having him pick up victoies is nice and all, but he desperately needs direction. Will Dempsey's new gimmick be that he has bad cardio? Come on, NXT Creative, I thought you were better than this.


Becky Lynch def. Jessie

As I mentioned in my review of her match with Sasha Banks at NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable, it's amazing how far Lynch has come in one year's time. Her in-ring ability has always been excellent, but she's done a terrific job of developing her character and getting over with the audience. This was a basic showcase of her skills, though Jessie had an impressive outing in her debut match and I look forward to seeing more of her on the show.


Baron Corbin def. Angelo Dawkins

It looked like Corbin was the heel in his feud with Rhyno last month, but now I'm not so sure. He is essentially the same as he was when he debuted in September, and that's not a good thing. Unlike Lynch, he has shown zero development, so it's no surprise the fans are now rejecting him. He's competing in the same squashes he was when he started, so unless he's holding back, he may be an extremely limited worker that WWE has to find another role for because these matches grew tiresome long ago.


Samoa Joe def. Scott Dawson

All the hype Joe's first match in NXT was a nice tough and definitively made it feel as special as it should have. It wasn't a great match by any match, but rather a simple showcase for Joe his first night in. I absolutely love how he's the same competitor he was in TNA and how WWE is basically letting him be himself. I don't know if he'll keep the Muscle Buster finisher after it injured Tyson Kidd recently, but it was cool to see him hit it here. I'm not a fan of them rushing their first one-on-one match, but I'm sure it's leading to a title encounter down the line and it's a major hook for next week's show.


Overall Show

While there wasn't much of note on this show, I thoroughly enjoyed it for some reason. Most of that was likely due to the awesome enthusiasm from the live crowd, who never cease to entertain me. None of the matches in particular held my interest, but I assume it was just a filler show and six matches is always too many for an hour long program. The main event segment was worth watching for and I'm highly anticipating next week's edition for the encounter between Joe and Owens.

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