Four weeks to go until NXT TakeOver: Dallas and once again, the majority of the show was a slow paced affair, a stark contrast to the main event... but we’ll come on to that.
The opening match of the night was a fairly nice one to get us kicked off, with The Vaudevillians in actions against Hugo Knox and Tucker Knight. The match was a good one to start off with, as Aiden English and Simon Gotch were dominant throughout, not allowing Knox and Knight to get a foot in the door.
Lots of grappling was used in the early goings, before the match became slightly more open a few minutes in. But before Knox and Knight could gain any sort of advantage, the former NXT Tag Team Champions hit the Whirling Dervish and got the three count.
Caught on Tape
We were then shown a backstage segment with Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady calling out the NXT Tag Team Champions, The Revival after we saw the CCTV tape of them attacking Enzo in the parking lot a few weeks back. Cass told Dash and Dawson that there will be nowhere to run next time they meet and that they will be the new NXT Tag Team Champions.
Dash and Dawson were next to spout their feelings, calling Enzo and Cass cowards. We found out shortly after that a match will take place between the two teams at WWE Roadblock. It’s great to see this match on the card and to reward them for their work in NXT, an Enzo and Cass win would certainly top their career off in the developmental league.
Women's Wrestling
Much like the first match of the show, this one was fairly balanced overall. Emma and Santana Garrett grappled for the majority of the match with the Australian keeping Garrett in the corners for a chunk of it. Emma showed great heelish behavior by standing on the hair of Garrett when she was down, continuing the development of her character.
Garrett fought back into the match but couldn’t gain an advantage, instead, Emma’s partner in crime Dana Brooke pulled the hair of Garrett and stopped her from gaining momentum. Emma finished the match by applying the Emma Lock dead center in the ring leaving nowhere to run and Garrett tapped out. From here, Emma should carry on a good run of form winning matches and working her way back up the women’s division.
Cocky No More
The NXT General Manager, William Regal announced that Nia Jax and Eva Marie will face Women's Champion, Bayley and Asuka in tag team action next week. A match which has been building in the last few weeks should throw up some great spots.
With Asuka showing that she clearly wanted a shot at Bayley's Women's Title, how will the duo work together to overcome the dominant Jax and Marie. More to the point, will they be able to work together? We shall see.
Cold Welcome
We finally found out who NXT’s newest superstar was this week, with that man being none other than, Austin Aries.
He was received with a huge pop from the crowd which was pretty quiet for the rest of the night, so that was a positive sign for Aries. What happened seconds later will be something Aries didn’t want from his unveiling, being attacked on the ramp by a disgruntled Baron Corbin.
The two men scrapped before Corbin hit ‘The Greatest Man who Ever Lived' with the End of Days before ripping Aries shirt from off of his back and throwing it in Regal’s face. He shouted “An eye for an eye” referring to the decision Regal made regarding leaving him out of the #1 Contendership re-match, receiving some fantastic heel heat from the crowd.
Austin Aries makes his NXT Debut. Photo: WWE
The Drifter - The Marine
Another week, and we still know little about ‘The Drifter’. Each week he comes out and each week he is still mysterious, with little information given to us. Even though we don’t know much, one thing we do know is that he is good in the ring and it showed again in this match. Samson dominated the ex-marine Steve Cutler, not letting him get into the match before hitting a neckbreakerand getting the win.
Hopefully, we will find out more information about Samson in the coming weeks because the mysterious persona is starting to get tiring, and isn't winning over the fans.
A Champion Returns
Former two-time NXT Tag Team and one time NXT Champion, Neville made an appearance this week against current champion, Finn Balor in a non-title match. The two high flyers put on a fantastic show, especially considering this match wasn’t even for the title.
The match started off slowly with grappling between both men, equally impressive as each other. A slow build was key for the spots which occurred halfway into the affair. The current champion got the upper hand when he threw Neville over the top rope, landing chest first on the floor which was a good addition to the match. Neville hit Balor with a perfectly executed moonsault from the middle rope not too long after, and then showed impressive strength when lifting Balor off of his feet to suplex him. This was the last stand out moment of the ‘The Man That Gravity Forgot’.
Balor showed off his high flying skill, diving over the top rope and landing on Neville. Both men having their standout moment from the match was a nice touch, but Balor came out on top, hitting the Coup de Grace and then Bloody Sunday to get the win.
Overall it was a fantastic match and a great way to end the show which reminded us just how good Neville can be. Balor gave the RAW superstar a round of applause along with the rest of the NXT Crowd before Neville raised The Demons hand which was a great show of respect between both men.
