WWE NXT Review - September 5, 2018

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Kassius Ohno def. Kona Reeves

Ohno has been more ruthless than usual in his last few outings on NXT and that was once again the case here. Reeves was built up over the course of a few months, but it was all downhill for him when he lost to EC3 a month or so ago. He is better off as an enhancement talent anyway, so I have nothing against Ohno essentially squashing him. Afterward, Ohno cut a promo about he was sick of being a stepping stone to the newer talent in NXT and that he is going to target whoever the next "fresh" star is. Keith Lee, anyone?

The Forgotten Sons def. The Street Profits

The Forgotten Sons have been working NXT's live event circuit for a while now and this was their first shot on NXT TV. They actually ended up doing pretty well for themselves and held their own against The Street Profits. This turned into a real fun match, largely thanks to how popular The Street Profits are, and the finish with The Mighty costing Street Fight the win protected the babyfaces in defeat. I assume this means we're in for another Street Profits vs. Mighty match soon.

NXT Women's Champion Kairi Sane def. Trish Adora (Non-title)

Sane opening a treasure chest with her title inside during her entrance was just beyond precious. Anyway, I am completely unfamiliar with Adora and have never seen her in action prior to this point, but she had a fine showing. Of course, this was mostly about Sane and giving her a victory as she kicks off her reign as NXT Women's Champion. I also liked the post-match brawl between Sane and Shayna Baszler, planting the seeds for an eventual title rematch. I would hold off until Evolution, but I could see NXT doing it sooner than that.

Velveteen Dream def. Johnny Gargano

Although Gargano has been experimenting with a conflicted character in recent months, he is still the best all-around performer in NXT right now and continues to deliver the goods in every big match he competes in. He and Dream had an entertaining encounter earlier this year, but this wound up being even better. They were given plenty of time, the action was excellent, and the storytelling was stellar. The crowd being hot from start to finish was just the cherry on top. All it took was a split second for Dream to take advantage of Gargano and steal the victory. It's a huge win for him, and this shortcoming should send Gargano farther off the deep end.

Overall Show

The above-average main event made this edition of NXT worth watching, but the rest of the show was solid as well with The Forgotten Sons successfully making their in-ring debut, Ohno putting the locker room on notice, and Sane and Baszler furthering their feud. The hour flew by per usual and I enjoyed it. Plus, we have a blockbuster champion vs. champion match between Ricochet and Pete Dunne to look forward to In two weeks time.