WWE NXT Review - June 12, 2014

Natalya prevents Tyson Kidd from using the chair.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Divas Champion Paige, Emma and Bayley def. NXT Women's Champion Charlotte, Summer Rae and Sasha Banks

Although the action was fine and I was glad the match was given good time, it was all about the tension teased among the members of the BFFs. It was evident last week that this is all building to a Charlotte face turn and that was furthered here with Summer's antics at ringside. Bayley picking up the pinfall victory for him was a pleasant surprise as it sets her up for a title match against her former friend for later down the line.


Colin Cassady def. Sylvester LeFort

Cassady is over with the Full Sail University crowd (then again, who isn't?), but he isn't interesting on his own. He showed potential as a singles star early on in his feud with Aiden English, but it quickly became apparent he isn't capable of holding his own in the ring. This was a simple squash for Cassady, but if his feud with LeFort is more than a one-off thing, I hope it leads to the return of Enzo Amore to even the odds.

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Bo Dallas is escorted out of the arena by security.

Sami Zayn def. "Mr. NXT" (Bo Dallas)

I first questioned the move to bring back Bo Dallas under a mask since his sendoff a few weeks ago was so great, but it ended up being the funniest thing on this show. His match against Zayn was good but nothing that will be remembered tomorrow. What will be remembered, though, is Dallas' post-match meltdown that saw campus security attempt to escort him out of the arena. Even everything that happened after the commercial break was hysterical. Dallas is a fantastic heel and it's a shame it doesn't translate on the main roster.


NXT Champion Adrian Neville def. Tyson Kidd

Once again, Neville and Kidd worked a great main event match. They kept the pace consistent throughout and took it up a notch down the stretch. The final few minutes were very well done, especially with Neville kicking out of Kidd's various finishing maneuvers. Natalya refusing to allow Kidd use the chair on Neville was a nice touch that foreshadowed his inevitable heel turn nicely. The live crowd bought into all the near-falls and popped for the finish. The slow build to Kidd's heel turn has been excellently executed thus far, though it would have been nice to hear from the No. 1 contender Tyler Breeze at some point on this show.


Overall Show

This was different than most editions of NXT since it featured fewer matches than usual, but all of them served a purpose. The opener planted the seeds for a Charlotte face turn, Cassady's squash match was basic filler, Dallas' NXT return was extremely entertaining and worth going back to again, and Neville and Kidd was enjoyable as expected. I've been liking the direction NXT has taken since Takeover and I hope they continue to produce quality programming in weeks ahead.

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