WWE NXT Review - October 2, 2014

Did Adrian Neville tap out to the Sharpshooter?

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

NXT Women's Champion Charlotte def. Bayley

The match had a slow pace early on, but I really liked how Charlotte continued to target Bayley's leg throughout. Granted, it didn't play a factor in the finish, but it tied in nicely to Charlotte's patented Figure Four Leglock. The nearfalls grew more suspenseful down the stretch and it was another good clean win for Charlotte as champion. Bayley had a strong showing only to come up short once again. I like that her journey to capture the gold keeps getting prolonged and it'll make for a major moment at the next live special if she finally wins it.


The Ascension Attacked Hideo Itami

The feud between Itami and Ascension has been well built so far and this was another nice development. The Ascension regained their heat from two weeks ago by getting the better of Itami here and it makes the match that will eventually happen between Itami and Ascension mean more. It's important that Ascension doesn't look completely inferior against Itami, especially after their dominant reign as tag team champions.

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Charlotte secures the Figure Four Leg Lock on Bayley.

Baron Corbin def. Troy McClain

It was another basic squash match with Corbin annihilating McClain. It effectively solidified his dominance, but squash wins will take him only so far. Hopefully he moves into his first feud sooner rather than later. On a side note, I'm confused on whether he's supposed to be a babyface or a heel. He comes across as a face in these matches, but his vignettes indicate otherwise.


The Vaudevillians def. Jason Jordan and Tye Dillinger

Jordan and Dillinger are still an odd team. I'm not saying they should split since I'm all for more tandems being added to the tag division in NXT, but they need to give us a reason to care about them. They've been on NXT TV for the better part of the last six months and it still feels like they don't have great chemistry together. The Vaudevillians, however, are an enjoyable act and this was a better than expected bout in the final few minutes.


NXT Champion Adrian Neville def. Tyson Kidd in a Last Chance Match

Neville and Kidd always have excellent matches and this encounter was no different. They work exceptionally well together and I'd argue that this was their best bout to date. The ending outcome was never in doubt, but the fans in attendance still bought into the nearfalls and both competitors did a superb job of giving viewers the impression that Kidd could win. I'm not sure if Titus O'Neil is here to stay on NXT, but I guess time will tell. Sami Zayn's involvement was the most telling as it's obvious they're headed toward a Neville vs. Zayn title match before long. The post-match announcement of Kidd never getting another title shot while Neville is champion was a nice touch.


Overall Show

A solid show from start to finish. The middle dragged a bit, but each of the matches served a purpose and nothing was dreadfully boring or pointless. The two bookend matches were very good and made for an enjoyable hour on the whole. Not only that, but there was plenty of hooks for next week's show and the foreseeable future in NXT.

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