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
- Emma vs Charlotte: What an incredible way to kick off NXT this week! Emma and Charlotte went from 0 to 60 in no time flat, offering a rough smash mouth opening that had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Both ladies put up an incredible performance and although Emma dominated most of the match, Charlotte demonstrated why she’s considered one of the greatest performers in NXT history by battling back on one leg to nail Natural Selection, leading to the victory. Post match, we got a visit from Bayley who came out to seemingly console Emma after her loss, but instead, she held onto a hug just a little long and then turned it into a Bayley to Belly Suplex! She became so enraged that Charlotte actually had to pull Bayley off of Emma. It would appear the women of NXT have been watching a lot of 2003 WWE, because this entire match was all ruthless aggression.
- Becky Lynch Video Package: Another hit segment for NXT puts them off to a very good start tonight, with a video package looking at the story of Becky Lynch’s career. I learned things about Becky that I hadn’t known before, and it was a great way to build excitement heading into not only her match with Sasha Banks, but their contract signing advertised for later in the show. With NXT being taped it will be interesting to see how the crowd reacts to her in the upcoming episodes compared to live for the NXT Takeover: Unstoppable
- Michael Cole Sit Down Interview with Kevin Owens: NXT is 3 for 3 with a spectacular segment from both Owens and Cole. Seeing Cole do these sit down interviews and letting his former reporter background come out a bit more demonstrates the kind of talent he really is. Owens was at his character best here, dodging questions and coming off as a true phony. It didn’t drag on, and it left me hating Kevin Owens even more. Great job all around.
- Bull Dempsey vs Rhyno: This was a match I had been anticipating since Rhyno debuted for NXT. Sadly, it was more of the same for the man beast instead of the battle of big men I was hoping it would be. After the match, Rhyno cut a promo calling out Baron Corbin for a match at NXT Takeover: Unstoppable. Hopefully that match will be more of the showdown I was hoping for here.
- Sasha Banks Backstage Promo: A very good promo from NXT Women’s Champion Sasha Banks, who was starting to feel lost with all the love Becky Lynch had been receiving. She blasted to the forefront of my lobes with this promo that reminded fans why they call her the boss of the NXT women’s division.
- Uhaa Video Package: The video package actually started backstage in William Regal’s office, when a new face entered to sign his NXT contract. That new face belongs to Uhaa, although he wasn’t given an official name yet in the video package. It was a simple hype video that marked the beginning of Uhaa’s journey. He arrives at the WWE Performance Center, he bounces around the ring and his voice over says that it’s time to get to work. Done on a lesser scale, it might not have worked but NXT’s production crew made him feel like a guy to watch in the coming weeks.
- Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder vs Enzo Amore and Big Cass with Carmella: Anybody disappointed by the fact that the Briscoe Brothers didn’t sign with NXT shouldn’t be too upset. It looks like they have their own version in Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder. I look forward to seeing what they can actually do once they get a match on TV, as this contest never happened. Enzo and Cass’s music played twice then we cut to backstage where NXT Tag Team Champions Blake and Murphy were beating down the #1 contenders while Carmella pleaded for them to stop. After being embarrassed last week, the champions needed this attack to make them seem like a menacing threat again and get some heat back on this feud. This segment did that perfectly.
- Michael Cole Sit Down Interview with Sami Zayn: A great demonstration of polarity as Sami Zayn came of humble and genuine when compared to Owen’s calculated and fake answers. It really made me want to root for Sami. The big story coming out of the interview was Sami calling out Owens for an in ring confrontation next week in which he will attempt to answer the question of why Kevin did what he did. Zayn had a great line telling the NXT Champion that he needs to be a role model for his kids. I’m hoping that will be the catalyst for something big next week.
- Sami Zayn RAW Recap: NXT took a pro-active approach to the potential Sami Zayn injury situation, showing clips from his match with WWE United States Champion John Cena on RAW, and asking what kind of condition Zayn would be in for NXT Takeover: Unstoppable
- Becky Lynch/Sasha Banks Contract Signing: We got another promo from Becky explaining what the video package had already told us, but it seemed to get the live crowd (who wouldn’t have been privy to it) excited and on her side. Sasha continued to get her gimmick over by using a diamond encrusted stamp to sign the contract instead, then sneak attacked Lynch as these things tend to go in WWE. Banks had control until Lynch caught her in an armbar from out of nowhere. A good segment that got both ladies over.
- Alex Riley Promo: A video gave us a quick recap of what happened last week with Kevin Owens post-match attack on Alex Riley. It then cut to Riley in his home cutting a promo on what looked like a home video camera or a camera phone. This was a nice touch to differentiate from the slick produced promos we usually see. Riley talked about the risks he has taken in his career, his upcoming surgery, and how hearing the people chant “Thank you Owens” after the attack made him realize the risks aren’t worth it and not seeing Alex Riley is what the people want. It was certainly out of character for the usually positive Riley, and it looks like when he comes back from injury, he might be singing a different tune towards the NXT Universe.
- Dana Brooke Backstage Interview: Brooke seemed a little lost here, with her eyes darting back and forth, causing me as a viewer to lose focus on her message. She talked about the new Tap Out clothing commercial and questioned how WWE could select Charlotte instead of her. She then threatened to run circles around Charlotte next time she saw her. Brooke has some work to do here, and ironically enough, she seems to lack confidence on the microphone. A rivalry with Charlotte will only help her improve. Let’s just hope the majority of this is kept in ring.
- Hideo Itami vs Tyler Breeze: Finn Balor was ringside during the match, which raised immediate suspicions that he would get involved later on. Although Balor didn’t choose to get involved, he certainly was involved in the finish of the contest and the post-match shenanigans. Itami and Breeze had a very good back and forth match reminiscent of their past encounters, but things really started to pick up in the last moments of the match. Breeze and Itami became embroiled on the outside when Hideo went for a skull crushing kick on Breeze, only to have Tyler move and instead crush the skull of Finn Balor! Both men returned to the ring where a failed Beauty Shot and a successful shotgun kick spelled the end for Tyler Breeze, giving the victory to Hideo Itami. After the match, Breeze tried to assault Hideo, but Finn came to his aid. I wondered if Balor would get a little payback for the errant kick, but would be left wondering as Tyler Breeze would enter from stage right and hit Balor with a thunderous Supermodel Kick to knock him out. Then he would turn his attention to Itami and leave him lying with a Beauty Shot. At the end of the show it was only Tyler Breeze standing tall with his selfie stick.
This was another promo and vignette heavy show, but unlike the previous two weeks, nothing felt like filler here. Every segment served a purpose and nothing was repetitive. This is one of those times where NXT was both quantitative as well as qualitative. The show started out hot with a great women’s match, slowed down a bit in the middle with some many vignettes and promos (despite being good), and then ended on a hot note with a very good match and an excellent finish to the night. In pro wrestling you want to start hot and end hot, and NXT managed to do that this week, while keeping me interested in the middle. A great improvement over the last two weeks.
The Future Five
5. Emma (Last Week – Not Ranked): Sometimes it isn’t if you win or lose, but how you play the game. That’s why Emma makes it into the Future Five this week while still ending up on the losing end of her match with Charlotte. If we were scoring based on points, Emma would have won that match hands down as she was absolutely dominant against a former NXT Women’s Champion. In fact, I might go so far as to say no other woman on the NXT roster put the kind of beating on Charlotte that Emma did this week. She showed that this new, ruthless side of her personality will serve her well in the future.
4. Hideo Itami (Last Week – 2): Hideo Itami has been on a roll recently, and had quite the win streak going ever since WrestleMania weekend. It seems like WWE has big plans for him in NXT and likely that is due to Itami letting more of his natural personality come out. We even got to see some of the old KENTA swagger come out this week against a man full of it. He managed to knock out both of his opponents for NXT Takeover: Unstoppable in the span of two minutes, and go on to win the main event, giving him a psychological edge for the upcoming triple threat match.
3. Charlotte (Last Week – Not Ranked): Charlotte hasn’t had as much attention since losing the NXT Women’s Championship, but everyone was focused on her this week as she battled back through what looked to be intense knee complications at the hands of a vicious Emma to come back and win her match seemingly out of nowhere. Charlotte might have genetics on her side, but her intestinal fortitude might be her greatest asset. She impressed enough people to even get called out later in the show, and if her performance is any indication, she’ll accept without hesitation.
2. Tyler Breeze (Last Week – Not Ranked): Sometimes wins and losses don’t matter if the whole world is talking about you. That certainly was the case for Tyler Breeze who managed to end NXT with everyone watching and talking about him, despite losing the match. Breeze fought hard during the main event, but in the end he would up on his back, looking up at the lights. That wasn’t about to stop him from making an impact though, and within the span of ten seconds, he went from an afterthought, to trending worldwide.
1. Becky Lynch (Last Week – Not Ranked): Becky Lynch might not have scored a big win in a match this week, be she not only scored big with the NXT Universe, but she only scored a moral victory, and perhaps a huge psychological edge over Sasha Banks heading into their NXT Women’s Championship match. Becky showed both humble emotion and fire during her promo and then demonstrated her heart by coming back from a sneak attack perpetrated by Banks, demonstrating that not only can her Irish Armbar come from out of nowhere, but it can make the Boss tap out. She proved that she is a legitimate challenge to Sasha, and possibly the next NXT Women’s Champion.
Final Thoughts:
There were quite a few stand outs in this week’s episode of NXT that it was difficult to pick just five, let alone their rankings. Despite losing their matches, both Emma and Tyler Breeze impressed me with their performances. The truth is, Tyler just made the bigger impact by ending the show on his pretty mug. That being said, I felt Emma’s complete dominance of Charlotte still warranted a spot, despite the loss. Some may object to ranking Charlotte higher than Hideo Itami, considering he won this week’s main event, but it was the way in which Charlotte won that earned her the number three position. I honestly believed Emma was going to win that match, based on how much control she had. For Charlotte to battle back against a knee hurt that badly was enough to make her win more impressive than Itami’s in my book. Did Becky Lynch leave a better impression than Tyler Breeze this week? I believe so. Lynch went from being an afterthought to a threat, while Breeze has shown in the past how threatening he can be. Lynch’s leap was bigger, and therefore, the most impressive this week.
