Welcome to NXT Future Five on Last Word On Sports, where each week we analyze the latest episode of World Wrestling Entertainment Network’s hottest program, NXT and rank the five performers who made the biggest impact.
Show Overview
- Finn Balor vs Ty Dillinger: This week’s episode of NXT started off with an international affair pitting Irish born Finn Balor against Canadian born Ty Dillinger. Although Dillinger did manage to score a stiff knife edge chop, this contest was all Balor, as he dominated the former Sean Spears and mercifully finished him off with the Cou the Grace in quick order. The fans were chanting Dilli-jobber at Ty throughout the match, and after his string of losses, the name is sadly appropriate. Post-match, Finn was celebrating when he was interrupted by Prince Pretty himself, Tyler Breeze. Tyler laid out a challenge to Balor, who seemed less than amused by Breeze’s distraction.
- Dana Brooke Promo: After a successful debut last week, we got to hear from Dana Brooke who talked about the rebirth of the NXT Women’s Division and how she would lead it. The quick promo showcased her arrogant personality and her impressive physique. While her script came out feeling forced and unnatural, her delivery was confident. Hopefully in the coming weeks Dana will learn to find her own voice and begin to blend her own personality into the character. After all, that’s why she’s there. Let’s not forget that.
- Kevin Owens Promo: Kevin Owens continues to be both admirable for his talent and completely despicable in his approach. This promo was a great example of that. Owens begins the promo disinterested, asking about a draft in the building, but then is quick to point out that despite besting him in their last encounter, Alex Riley gave him a good fight. This is pro wrestling psychology 101. If Owens came out and talked about how he had nothing to prove against Riley, then why would we as an audience care? By giving Riley just the smallest microcosm of credit, he is telling the audience that there is a chance, no matter how small, that the bad guy might get beat tonight. In 60 seconds, Kevin Owens raised my interest level in the main event, and that is what you call maximizing your minutes.
- #1 Contender’s Match – Bayley vs Charlotte vs Becky Lynch: This match involved three of the most talented women in pro wrestling today, but even the cream of the crop are entitled to an off start. The contest started off awkwardly and slightly sloppy, with all three looking a little lost until Becky Lynch was tossed from the ring and the pace slowed down a bit. At that point, Bayley and Charlotte quickly found their groove and were able to smooth out the early wrinkles of this match, adding in dashes of Lynch when she was convenient for the spot. The match had a steady build until the closing moments, where all three women had the crowd on their feet for a clever finish. Charlotte locked Bayley in the Figure Eight Leg Lock and unbeknown to her, Becky Lynch crawled over to cover the trapped hugger for the shocking pin fall victory. Even Lynch herself seemed surprised, until it was time to celebrate, then it was all smug smiles for the new #1 Contender.
- CJ Parker vs Hideo Itami: You would think after losing to newcomer Solomon Crowe last week, CJ Parker would’ve taken some time off to lick his wounds, but instead, he was right back into the fray against Hideo Itami, which is admirable, but ultimately proved to be foolish. To his credit, Parker controlled most of the match, and showed a lot of aggression for a guy who took a beating last week. Despite showing some promise, Parker could not match the aggression of his opponent however, as Hideo Itami took inspiration from the Full Sail University crowd, who encouraged him to kick off the head of Parker, which he nearly did after a Shotgun Kick for the decisive victory.
- Becky Lynch/Sasha Banks Confrontation: NXT Women’s Champion Sasha Banks wasted no time in playing mind games with the new #1 contender to her NXT Women’s Championship and former ally Becky Lynch. Unfortunately for her, Lynch was ready with some sharp verbal jabs of her own and proved that in a battle of wits, both of these ladies are equally matched. The dialogue came off as realistic, but not chaotic, and without the benefit of a clear baby face to cheer for in this match, this strong encounter helped to build interest in their upcoming championship encounter.
- Rhyno vs Local Talent (Name Not Given): Belly to belly suplex. Do I need to say anything more?
- Blake/Murphy/Carmella/Big Cass/Enzo Amore Backstage Segment: Starting with a close up on Carmella’s chest to show off her new jewelry I’m sure, and ending with an argument that wouldn’t seem out of place on Jersey Shore, this segment was bizarre, but entertaining. First, you had NXT Tag Team Champions Blake and Murphy attempting to serenading Carmella with an out of tune song and air violin. Then Big Cass and Enzo Amore enter the picture to chase off the Australian/American duo and begin to chastise Carmella for wearing the jewelry given to her by the champs. The whole thing breaks down into a flurry of Jersey slang and unintelligible shouts that was kind of captivating. Further proof that even when uttering gibberish, the new Jersey Triad oozes charisma from their pores.
- Alex Riley vs Kevin Owens: It was Déjà vu all over again for the NXT Universe as we got a repeat of the Arnold Classic main event, and just like in Columbus, Alex Riley was not able to focus his rage into a victory against the NXT Champion Kevin Owens. In fact, it could be argued that Riley never even got out of the starting blocks. Owens looked even more dominant here than in their first encounter, disposing of the former analyst in quick and harsh fashion with a Pop Up Power Bomb. The most interesting part of the main event occurred after the match, with Owens attacking Riley, and former champion Sami Zayn attacking Owens in turn. Zayn not only saved Riley, but brawled with Owens at ringside and capped off the episode with a dive onto Owens and a handful of security trying to keep them apart.
This week’s episode was perfect for anyone with a short attention span. WWE tried to stuff a lot of content into the show this week, packing 9 segments into just 50 minutes, giving each segment an average time of five minutes and 30 seconds. Of course, there was some balance as half the segments were backstage promos or encounters that clocked in at a minute or less, but nonetheless a very active episode of NXT. There are two schools of thought when it comes to this kind of programming. The first school of thought is that by keeping things short and plentiful, it has allowed fans to be exposed to lots of NXT characters and stories in a quick period of time. The other school of thought is that throwing too much at the viewer too fast doesn’t allow for a greater emotional connection and investment in those characters and stories. The flow was good enough this week that it worked, but I wouldn’t want this style to become the norm on NXT. I’ll take quality over quantity any day.
The Future Five
5. Charlotte (Last Week – Not Ranked): Charlotte may not have won her match this week, but make no mistake about it, she looked better in defeat than most did in victory this week. The former NXT Women’s Champion was the odds on favorite to win the triple threat match to crown a new #1 contender, and watching her in the ring it wasn’t hard to see why. Bayley and Becky Lynch aren’t push overs, and Charlotte still managed to control the majority of the contest. In fact, had it not been for Becky Lynch’s quick thinking (or dumb luck, depending on your perspective), Charlotte might have won the match. An argument could be made that she didn’t even lose the match, considering she was never pinned nor did she submit. Conspiracy theorists might even go so far as to say that she has a claim to the title of #1 contender since Bayley was still in the Figure 8 Leg Lock when she was pinned, meaning the victory is just as much Charlotte’s as it is Lynch’s. Whatever you believe, you can’t deny that Charlotte was more than impressive this week, and earned a rightful spot here in the Future Five
4. Hideo Itami (Last Week – Not Ranked): Some might argue that both Rhyno and Finn Balor had more dominant victories this week, and they would be correct, however it is for that very reason that he is on my list, and those two aren’t. CJ Parker might not have a great win/loss record, but no one can argue that he has more star power than both Ty Dillinger and a nameless local talent. I was also more impressed by the fact that Hideo had to work harder for his victory than either Rhyno or Balor. Parker upped his aggression this week, and in response, Itami upped his, making him better prepared for the next challenger. Balor and Rhyno easily won their matches, meaning that aside from an ego boost, they gained nothing this week. Itami is coming off the high of winning the NXT Axxess tournament and competing in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 31. He could have easily rested on his laurels, but instead he fought like he was gunning for the NXT Championship. Likely because he is.
3. Kevin Owens (Last Week – Not Ranked): The NXT Champion had a busy night on Wednesday. He started his evening by cutting a scathing but respectful promo against his opponent, driving interest in the main event and generating more heat for his character. Later on in the evening he managed to turn back the challenge of Alex Riley for the second time, proving his dominance and that he can back up all of his smack talk with actions. Even though the night didn’t end the way he planned, Kevin Owens was a major part of NXT this week, being involved in three segments of the nine featured this week. That is one third of the programming dedicated to one man. Anyone who has that much time dedicated to them deserves a spot in the Future Five.
2. Sami Zayn (Last Week – 1): How did a guy not involved in a match manage to end up in the number 2 position this week? It’s all about impact. Sami Zayn might not have scored a physical victory in the ring but he did score a moral victory outside of it when he came to the rescue of Alex Riley, and prevented him from suffering the same fate as Zayn at the hands of NXT Champion Kevin Owens. Since losing his championship to Owens at NXT Takeover: Rival, Zayn had a lot to say about his situation, but didn’t back up those words with actions. Last week he proved that holding his own against a more vicious opponent was not an issue by beating the man beast Rhyno, this week he proved that he was a changed man, showing a fire and anger rarely seen from Zayn. He went blow for blow with the best brawler in NXT, and not only stood his ground, but took the upper hand by diving onto Owens and a group of security, bringing the NXT Universe to it’s feet and sendingthe NXT Champion running scared. Sami Zayn spent a lot of time talking since losing the NXT Championship. This week, his actions spoke louder than his words, and the message was loud and clear: Sami Zayn is ready to take back his title, and tear Kevin Owens apart.
1. Becky Lynch (Last Week – Not Ranked): Despite not appearing in the main event, or even the most talked about moment of the night, there is no doubt in my mind that Becky Lynch deserves the number one spot this week. First, from a pure analytical point of view, she defeated two opponents this week, whereas every other competitor was only tasked with facing one. Add to that the quality of her opposition and it’s easy to see that from a pure numbers perspective, she is leading the pack. Not only that, but her victory meant the most this week as well. Not only did Becky Lynch beat two of the best her division could offer, but in doing so, she became the #1 contender to the NXT Women’s Championship. Despite looking shocked at her victory, Lynch was smart enough to cover Bayley, the emotional favorite, and outsmart former NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte, the odds on favorite. Although it would be fair to call this an upset victory, the impact made by Becky Lynch on this night cannot be understated. Not only that, but after showing her prowess in the ring, Lynch held her own verbally against one of the best female talkers in NXT. Lynch was firing on all cylinders tonight, and managed to speed past everyone else to claim the #1 contender spot, and the #1 spot on the Future Five.
Final Thoughts:
Last week I said my hopes were that the triple threat match to name a #1 contender to the NXT Women’s Championship would be the main event. I was disappointed that didn’t turn out to be the case, but hindsight being 20/20, I can see that was the right call. The women’s triple threat match was the fight of the night and had huge implications, making it easy to give Becky Lynch the #1 spot this week, but Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens created an incredible moment with a physical altercation that the NXT Universe has been waiting weeks for. Expect to see lots more of Zayn and Owens both in the Future Five as the weeks go on. As for Becky Lynch, the ball is in her court now. If she continues to improve, I have no doubt she’ll find a comfortable spot here each week. With no matches announced for next week, the landscape of NXT is wide open, and the future is full of possibilities.
