WWE NXT Review - May 3, 2017

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Killian Dain def. Danny Burch

We haven't seen too much of Dain in singles competition since he joined SAnitY, so this was a perfectly solid showcase for him. His was able to assert his dominance and show off his impressive agility. Meanwhile, Burch did Dain a huge favor in bumping around like a madman for him. He's been in the NXT system before so he knows how to make other people look good. It will be interesting to see where Dain and the rest of SAnitY go from here.

Heavy Machinery def. Ricardo Watts and Hector Kunsman

With only a few short appearances, Heavy Machinery have already solidified themselves as a popular fixture in the tag team division with their entertaining antics and hard-hitting style. This was another enjoyable outing from them as the crowd was behind them throughout. Their post-match promo gave them some time to talk for once and established them as threats to the NXT Tag Team Championship.

Hideo Itami def. Kona Reeves

I really liked how this separated itself from any ordinary enhancement match with the idea that Bobby Roode instructed Reeves to hurt and potentially injure Itami so he wouldn't be a threat to his NXT Championship. Reeves came across much more aggressive than usual and it made for a more interesting matchup. Itami fought from underneath and he didn't appear to have lost a beat in the ring whatsoever.

Asuka Crashed an NXT Women's Championship No. 1 Contender's Battle Royal

There weren't too many stories told in this Battle Royal considering a majority of the combatants aren't regulars in the women's division, but there was some suspense down the stretch once it came down to Ember Moon, Nikki Cross and Ruby Riot (and props to Billie Kay and Peyton Royce for playing their roles wonderfully before being eliminated). I figured Moon would win, so the non-finish with Asuka laying them all out was slightly surprising. I'm sure it will be a good match, but it's strange we getting a second Fatal 4-Way match after Asuka already defended her title in a Fatal 4-Way back in January.

Overall Show

Of course, the first three matches on this edition of NXT were designed to get talent over and weren't intended to be classics, but each of them served a purpose. The main event wasn't too much of note from an in-ring standpoint, but the NXT Women's Championship Fatal 4-Way match was made official for TakeOver: Chicago. This wasn't as exciting of an episode as the past few weeks have been, but it was effective for those aforementioned reasons. Plus, Hideo Itami vs. Roderick Strong in a No. 1 contender's match for the NXT Championship was announced for next week and that should be a blast. Speaking of Strong, another incredible video package aired on this episode looking at his time in Ring of Honor, his wife and newborn baby and more, so I strongly (no pun intended) suggest checking it out.