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
- Samoa Joe Hype Video: Right out the gate we’re told what the big attraction is this week, the debut of Samoa Joe. It was brief, but the impact was instantaneous.
- Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley vs Rollins and Samson: The crowd was actually hyped for Mojo Rawley. To be honest, I really like the team of Ryder and Rawley They’re goofy, but their energy is infectious. Mojo and Ryder controlled early on with quick strikes, but were soon in trouble and on the receiving end of a double team. One beautiful drop kick later and Zack Ryder was back in control. It wouldn’t last long however as Rollins and Samson were much stronger and over powered the hype men with suplexes and wore them down with a chin lock. Ryder made the hot tag to Mojo and after a series of Sting Splashes and a flying forearm, he set up Samson for a Hart Attack style finish that saw Ryder hit the Rough Rider from the top while Mojo held their opponents. The crowd popped and the popular new team celebrated in the crowd.
- Finn Balor Hype Package: Some incredible editing and real slick production that featured Finn Balor with a voice over as the Demon persona attempted to escape. It ended with a reminder of the July 4th WWE is doing a very good job of making it feel special.
- Dana Brooke Video Package: Another highlight video, this time with comments from Dana talking about how she feeds off the internet hate. That’s exactly the kind of thing that will drive viewers of all kinds absolutely crazy. It shows that WWE knows their crowd and how to work them.
- Emma vs Blue Pants: There was a chant of Happy Birthday for Blue Pants. Apparently all she wanted was a squash match against Emma. All joking aside, this is a smart move. The crowd LOVES Blue Pants, so having Emma tear her apart makes her look ruthless and earns her the ire of the NXT Universe. Emma attacked Blue Pants from behind to jump start the match and continued to toss her around in the early going. Emma continued to rain down fists and kicks on the Mikey Whipwreck of NXT, and despite some spunky offense from her opponent, Emma was never really out of control. That all changed when Emma missed an elbow drop, allowing Blue Pants to score a pair of Chick Kicks and a big clothesline. Sadly for the birthday girl, Emma ducked another Chick Kick and locked in the Emma Lock for the submission victory.
- Enzo Amore, Big Cass, and Carmella Backstage Interview: The promo actually started with all three performers bickering because of course it does. Carmella started things off by making fun of Alexa Bliss’s hair, saying it looked like her hair was on fire. Enzo them laid down a rap that somehow weaved in a Fresh Prince of Bel Air reference, and Big Cass summed it up by saying they would win next week’s six man tag. A very entertaining promo that got over each personality in minimum time. These three are ready for whatever WWE wants to do with them.
- Tyler Breeze vs Bull Dempsey: For the second week in a row, we have the King of Cuteville facing a resident heel. Some sloppy power offense started got us started off, with Breeze quickly being set into a rear chin lock. A “Let’s Go Tyler” chant encouraged Breeze to fight back, but Bull quickly cut him off and went to the top. Breeze rolled to the outside and did a spot where Bull chased after him and got winded, causing the fans to start a Cardio chant and allowing Prince Pretty to roll him back in, hit the Beauty Shot, and win the match.
- Becky Lynch Flashback: NXT aired footage of the standing ovation Lynch got after her match at NXT Takeover: Unstoppable and the crowd singing her theme, just to make sure she didn’t get lost in the women’s division shuffle and get you excited for…
- Becky Lynch vs Jesse McKay: Byron Saxton was quick to let us know that Jesse was a newcomer from Australia. Lynch welcomed her with a pair of arm drags. Jesse responded with a big boot to the face and smashing her head into the mat several times. The Australian newcomer then worked over Becky’s arm by torqueing it against her thigh. She continued to assault Lynch with a few strikes and then going back to the arm. When Jesse decided to mock the Lass Kicker, Lynch saw her opening and scored a hammer lock suplex and a series of leg drops to score momentum. From there, Lynch moved into a reverse Samoan drop and finished off Ms. McKay with the Disgusted Arm Bar.
- William Regal Announcement: Regal started by announcing how excited he was about the Samoa Joe debut and mentioned that NXT Champion Kevin Owens would be on commentary. Before he could say another word, Bull Dempsey walked in eating a bag of Doritos. Regal looked disgusted as Bull made excuses about losing the match to Tyler Breeze. The NXT General Manager then told Dempsey that he needed to get his act together and walked away. As the camera looked back, Bull grabbed a bar of chocolate from his tights and took a big bite.
- Jason Jordan Locker Room Interview: Jordan was asked about losing his tag team match with partner Marcus Louis, and before he could give a good answer, Chad Gable walked into frame telling Jordan that he told him so and once again offered to be his tag team partner and ended with his ready, willing and Gable tag line. After Jason had walked off, Gable etched his own name next to Jordan’s name plate in the locker room.
- Baron Corbin vs Angelo Dawkins: These two big guys locked up early and jockeyed for an advantage. Corbin put an end to that with a still elbow and a series of fore arm smashes. After a charge in the corner, Baron threw Angelo to the mat and played to the crowd, getting a mix of cheers and jeers. Dawkins fought back with a few jabs, but after missing a bulldog, Baron landed a devastating clothesline and finished off his amateur opponent with End of Days.
- Samoa Joe vs Scott Dawson: We started with a shot of Kevin Owens on commentary with his arms around an uncomfortable looking Byron Saxton. Nice nod to his past with Alex Riley. The match started with an intense lock up that the referee broke up. Joe worked over Dawson’s arm with an arm wrench that Dawson reversed. Eventually Joe shot him off and gave Scott a shoulder tackle. Whenever Joe’s confrontation with Owens was brought up, the NXT Champion was quick to change the subject to him beating John Cena. In the ring, there were some stiff punches and elbows exchanged ending with Joe hitting a barrage in the corner and going pillar to post with a back splash and an enzeguri. Dawson tried charging Joe but only got caught with an STO and hoisted into the air for a Muscle Buster. Three seconds later, the match was over. While the replay showed highlights, Owens mocked the announce team for being excited about Joe. As Kevin tried walking away, Samoa Joe grabbed a microphone and called out the NXT Champion for being a coward. The crowd chanted “Fight Owens Fight”, but instead he got on the microphone and made more excuses as to why he wouldn’t give them what he wants. Owens even went so far as to call Joe a rookie, and say he couldn’t just get a title shot after one match. His supporters cheered, either missing the point completely or choosing to ignore it. Thankfully, out came NXT GM William Regal, who said that while he agrees that Joe hadn’t earned a title shot, he had earned a fight, so next week we get Samoa Joe vs Kevin Owens!
This week’s episode is difficult to categorize. It didn’t blow me away like last week, but I never found myself losing interest in what was going on and the segments were well placed and paced. Although there were no matches where the outcomes were ever truly in doubt, the action itself was often competitive, and if you value the journey as opposed to the destination, then it was likely the kind of show you would enjoy. Truthfully, if one factors in the well done video vignettes, packages and interviews from NXT’s production team, this was a good to very good show. It just wasn’t a great episode when compared to the exceptional offering from last week.
The Future Five
5. Becky Lynch (Last Week – Not Ranked): The Irish Lass Kicker came back in a big way, recovering big from her loss to NXT Women’s Champion Sasha Banks. The crowd remained loyal and loud, showing that her hard work to earn their trust was rewarded, and she in turn rewarded them by giving them a few new tricks. Although Lynch gave a lot to her opponent in Australian newcomer Jesse McKay, it made Becky look stronger by coming back and executing some innovative offense. Lynch looks and feels fresh and it isn’t just because of her new entrance attire. She actually feels different from the other women in NXT and that will put her back in line for a title rematch sooner rather than later.
4. Baron Corbin (Last Week – Not Ranked): Love him or hate him, Baron Corbin continues to look dominant in the ring. You’ll hear both reactions from the NXT Universe these days. The great thing is the Lone Wolf has actually played into the shade being thrown at him, and it has made him an interesting character again. Before tonight, Corbin was a stone wall. It was impossible to get a read on him. By taking just a few moments to mock his opponent and glance at the crowd, Baron has gotten a reaction out of the same fans that were sick of him just a few weeks ago.
3. Tyler Breeze (Last Week – 3): Prince Pretty manages to keep his spot this week by giving us much of the same, which is not a bad thing. His transition from villain to fan favorite is occurring at just the right pace, and he’s being very smart not to pull any of his old antics that lent themselves to rule breaker tendencies. He has been relying on his wits and skills alone to secure victories and he is playing the underdog role to perfection. While there are still some fans who are not quite ready to accept the King of Cuteville just yet, it won’t take long before this heart break kid becomes NXT’s own show stopper.
2. Zack Ryder & Mojo Rawley (Last Week – Not Ranked): When Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley had a chance encounter at NXT Takeover: Unstoppable, I certainly didn’t think it would lead to a pairing that captured my imagination. Despite defeating a pair of unknowns, the team of Ryder and Rawley captivated me and had the NXT Universe on its feet. Both guys are considered fun baby face characters who really feed of the crowd and make them feel part of the show. That isn’t as commonplace as it should be, and I’m hoping we see more of it in the coming weeks on NXT. Woo Woo Woo, get HYPED!
1. Samoa Joe (Last Week – Not Ranked): At the top of the show, Samoa Joe was advertised as being the most anticipated debut in NXT history. While that statement is debatable, there is no debating that Samoa Joe made the biggest impression of any NXT performer this week. It wasn’t the fact that he won his match and closed the show by punking out NXT Champion Kevin Owens, it was because his match with Scott Dawson felt like a main event. It wasn’t just some squash match. Joe did what so many performers have trouble doing these days, which is making your opponent look skilled so when you beat them, you come out looking like a bigger star. If that was his intent, then no star shined brighter this week than the debuting Samoa Joe.
Final Thoughts:
Everyone did a good job this week, so the Future Five was determined by the most minute of details. Becky Lynch made some changes to make herself stand out, but Baron Corbin’s slight changes just made the bigger impact with me. Tyler Breeze’s steady turn deserves a stable spot for the second week in a row, while the new tag team of Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley exploded out of the gate with a crowd response that rivaled any top baby face in the company. In the end, the show was built around the debut of Samoa Joe, and he exceeded expectations. With NXT adopting a more indy-friendly style, Joe will have less trouble adapting than he would have even a year ago. The chants of Joe! Joe! Joe! Were well earned at Full Sail University this week.
