WWE NXT Review - March 1, 2017

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Patrick Clark def. Sean Maluta

While I'm not still not sold on Clark's Prince-esque gimmick, I'm willing to give the guy a chance because I know he's talented in the ring and I remember the passion he had on Tough Enough back in 2015. That said, it's cool he's finally being given a chance to shine and this was a solid showing from him. Here's hoping he isn't being built up just to be knocked back down by one of the bigger stars.

NXT Women's Champion Asuka def. Peyton Royce

TakeOver specials aside, I don't think Asuka has had one title defense on NXT TV up to this point, so I'm surprised they didn't promote this as the first NXT Women's Championship match on NXT in over a year. Of course, the outcome was never in doubt because it's been apparent for months that Asuka has a date with Ember Moon at TakeOver: Orlando, but this was an important match for Royce depending on how she looked in defeat. Ultimately, she fared well for herself and was able to score an ample amount of offense over Asuka. She has all the makings of a star, and with a bit more seasoning, she can be a real asset to this women's division. Speaking of Moon, that match was set up effectively afterward with Moon coming to Asuka's aid.

#DIY def. NXT Tag Team Champions Authors of Pain by Disqualification

There was no way this was going to come close to topping their exciting encounter from TakeOver: San Antonio, but as a television main event, this was very well-wrestled and a ton of fun. #DIY may just be the most thrilling tag team on any WWE brand at the moment and they never cease to get a good/great match out of everyone they face off against. The non-finish was logical in protecting both tandems while also establishing The Revival as threats to the titles. Plus, that Shatter Machine one of the members of Authors of Pain was a sweet sight.

Overall Show

I really liked how focused this edition of NXT was with two title matches, Clark's in-ring return and a nice little video package for Wolfgang. NXT TV is typically enjoyable week-to-week, but this episode in particular was strong because of how there was no filler whatsoever and everything seemed to serve a purpose. More importantly, the build to TakeOver: Orlando is officially underway, which was imperative considering the event is exactly one month away. The card is shaping up to be special, and I'm looking forward to being in attendance for it.