WWE NXT Review - March 22, 2017

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Andrade "Cien" Almas def. Oney Lorcan

Almas and Lorcan had a pair of matches late last year and earlier this year, but this was easily the best of the bunch. Although Almas has been directionless since TakeOver: San Antonio and Lorcan is a glorified enhancement talent, both of them are exceptional wrestlers and they had really fun chemistry together here. I was glad they were given the time to showcase their skills, and this was definitely the most lively the UCF crowd has been for this entire taping. That alone was an impressive accomplishment by Almas and Lorcan.

NXT Women's Champion Asuka def. Priscilla Zungia (NOn-title)

Zungia looks a lot like that chick who debuted as part of LAX on Impact Wrestling last week. I wonder if it's the same girl? Either way, this wasn't much different than any other Asuka squash match aside from how she took her time dismantling her opponent and appeared to enjoy inflicting pain on her. That leads me to believe Asuka getting cocky at TakeOver: Orlando will be what costs her the NXT Women's Championship against Ember Moon.

Roderick Strong, No Way Jose and Tye Dillinger vs. SAnitY Ended in a No Contest

I haven't been too invested in this feud up to this point, but this was a way better tag team match than the one these six Superstars had last month. All of them appeared to be at the top of their game and put forth a solid effort. It also had a bit of a chaotic feel to it that kept things interesting and fit well with what SAnitY are all about. I expected some sort of non-finish to set up a rematch at TakeOver: Orlando, which has yet to be announced as of this writing. Additionally, Heidi Lovelace's (a.k.a. Ruby Riot) debut was rather random and a case of odd timing, but she'll likely help even the odds for the babyfaces. Plus, she's a welcome addition to a shallow women's division right now.

Overall Show

These UCF tapings haven't done a ton for me, if only because the atmosphere has been lousy more often than not, but this was better than most editions of NXT that have been airing as of late. It certainly had more of a focus to it with the main event and the women's match obviously building toward TakeOver, and even Almas' match served a purpose because it was announced he'll be Aleister Black's debut opponent. Plus, the lengthy video package for the upcoming NXT Championship match between Bobby Roode and Shinsuke Nakamura was excellent, so this show gets a thumbs up from me.