WWE NXT Review - March 13, 2019

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Forgotten Sons def. Moustache Mountain in a Dusty Rhodes Tag Team classic Semifinals Match

Forgotten Sons continue to impress me, even though I give a lot of credit to Moustache Mountain for making this match as entertaining as it was. They sold wonderfully for Forgotten Sons' offense and came close on several occasions to clinching the victory, so they lost nothing in defeat. I would have preferred Moustache Mountain advancing over Forgotten Sons, but I guess they wanted a face vs. heel dynamic in the finals, so I suppose the outcome made sense.

Io Shirai vs. Bianca Belair in an NXT Women's Championship No. 1 Contender's Match Ended in a No Contest

This could have been really great with more time, but for the five or so minutes they were allotted, they did well and produced a solid match. The interference from Shayna Baszler was perfectly logical considering she has issues with both ladies, and although I was expecting Baszler vs. Shirai one-on-one at TakeOver: New York, I'm all for a Fatal 4-Way (also involving Kairi Sane) instead. Talk about a potential show-stealer!

Aleister Black and Ricochet def. #DIY in a Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Semifinals Match

When you put four top talents in the ring together, you're almost always guaranteed an instant classic, and sure enough, that's exactly what this was. Similar to last week, #DIY was back on the same page like no time had passed, while Black and Ricochet continue to show tremendous chemistry together. There never seemed to be a dull moment and every second of the action was exhilarating. Black and Ricochet winning in clean fashion was a nice touch. The post-match angle with Gargano turning on Ciampa was executed extremely well, but it's a shame it won't amount to anything as a result of Ciampa's recent neck injury. I assume we'll find out what the TakeOver: New York main event will be instead very soon.

Overall Show

I can't say I loathe the rushed format of the Dusty Rhodes Classic this year if only because it has made for two terrific editions of NXT TV. Both bouts were once again excellent and I'm highly anticipating the finals in two weeks. The women's match wasn't a barn burner by any means, but I didn't mind that it was more of an angle instead designed to set up the NXT Women's Championship match for TakeOver. Plus, we have the Keith Lee vs. Dominik Dijakovic rematch set for next week, which I am also very much looking forward to.