WWE NXT Review - October 24, 2018

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

EC3 def. Adam Cole

With Bobby Fish returning from injury, Undisputed Era is officially back in full force. I liked Adam Cole's promo that started off the show as well as the enjoyable encounter between Cole and EC3 that followed. It had a nice pace and was honestly one of the better bouts I've seen EC3 in since his coming to NXT. He was long overdue for a victory, so that was refreshing. Considering he was attacked by Undisputed Era afterward, it's possible he'll be added to the likely WarGames II main event alongside War Raiders, Ricochet and/or Pete Dunne.

Mia Yim def. Aliyah

Although this was billed as Yim's NXT TV debut, she actually appeared on NXT TV before years ago in a quick squash against Charlotte Flair. Of course, she has come a long way since then and her spot on the NXT roster is well-deserved. However, I wasn't a fan of Aliyah dominating a majority of this match. I understood what they were going for, but this should have been a better showcase for Yim that didn't make it look like she was inferior to someone who has mainly been positioned as an enhancement talent.

Kassius Ohno def. Justin Xavier

I'm digging this new aggressive side of Ohno. The guy is wasting no time in decimating his unknown opponents and is doing so in dominant fashion. He comes across like a total badass in the process, and quite honestly, he should have been doing this from the moment he returned to NXT last year. Nikki Cross came out laughing afterward, but obviously that was meant to be a red herring based off what would happen later on in the night.

NXT General Manager William RegaL's NXT Championship Announcement Turned to Mayhem as Johnny Gargano Attacked Aleister Black

Yes, I was disappointed by the lack of announcement from Regal, but at least we now have a better idea of what the NXT title match at WarGames II could look like. Velveteen Dream and Lars Sullivan both staked their claim at the championship here, so it could end up being some sort of multi-man matchup, also involving Black and Gargano. Speaking of whom, Gargano basically revealed in this segment that he was the one who attacked Black, which is quite the twist. I'm excited to see where that leads.

Overall Show

It's interesting how TakeOver: WarGames II is less than a month away and nothing is advertised for the card as of this writing, yet I have no doubt NXT will come through with a loaded lineup that will be better than anything WWE will deliver at Survivor Series that Sunday. This edition of NXT TV was enjoyable from start to finish with several storylines progressing, Yim debuting, Gargano ending the evening on a massive cliffhanger, and Matt Riddle's debut as well as Undisputed Era vs. War Raiders being announced for next week.