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.
NXT Future Five: Week of July 15, 2015
Highlights of the Night
- Sami Zayn Promo: Although fans have seen Sami Zayn since his NXT Championship rematch with Kevin Owens, it was always in a segment reserved for television, and he was never the focal point of the packages. He was always in the background letting you know that he was still there. After months of waiting, fans finally got the chance to hear from Sami in his own words. While the crowd sang Ole Ole Ole, Sami spoke about how 2014 was his best year in NXT, ending with him holding the NXT Championship above his head. He also spoke about how 2015 wound up being his worst year because it looked like he wouldn’t be back before 2016. He made sure to tell the crowd that despite the bad news, he wasn’t done wrestling, pursuing the NXT Championship, or getting revenge on Kevin Owens.
- Charlotte vs Sasha Banks: With only one week worth of build-up and a well documented history, this match had a lot to deliver in this week’s main event. Luckily it delivered in spades. Both women put on a clinic that featured everything from grappling to brawling, trash talking to an embrace of sportsmanship. Some of the highlights from the match included an innovative opening sequence in which both women used a lockup to try and score pin falls, Banks using a straight jacket submission that nearly bent Charlotte in half, Charlotte doing a Flair flop just like her old man, a figure four from the middle of the ring to the floor, action so intense that it caused Charlotte to lose her hair extensions, and a Bank Statement submission that had the NXT Universe on the edge of their seats until Charlotte eventually tapped out.
The Future Five
5. Samoa Joe: Despite a win this week over German newcomer Axel Tisher, Joe didn’t exactly have a stellar week, and it began with his entrance. The moment his music hit, there was a notable difference from the first night the Samoan Submission Machine walked through the curtain to confront Kevin Owens. The crowd was noticeably quieter for this appearance. This could have been due to low energy and burnout, after all, NXT is taped multiple shows at a time. It is also possible that fans are already tired of Joe’s act. NXT has a number of big scary monsters, meaning Joe might have to do more to stand out. One thing I can say in favor of Joe was that he looked to have been hitting the gym and eating right because he appeared to be in better shape since his debut.
4. Jason Jordan and Chad Gable: Chad Gable had the opposite problem of Samoa Joe this week. The crowd already seems familiar with him, and they seem to like him. Perhaps his time as an Olympian has something to do with it. Even if you had never seen Gable in action before tonight, it was easy to become a fan of his very quickly. Both he and Jordan showed that their whole could be greater than the sum of their parts, if they can continue to work well together. They did so on this occasion, ending their match with an astounding tag team combination that requires exceptional timing. Jordan hoisted their opponent in the air and Gable caught him on the way down, bridging into a belly to back suplex that was truly eye-popping. It was a show stopper and a match ender for this new team with unlimited potential.
3. Sami Zayn: NXT is a developmental territory for WWE, meaning that one can expect to see new talent honing their skill on a weekly basis. Many of these performers are unpolished, and nowhere is that more evident than on the microphone. Eva Marie was the perfect example this week and her delivery seemed more than a little stiff. Of course, she is still learning and may one day become as good as the man holding this week’s number three spot, Sami Zayn. We have not seen a man so incredibly likable since Ricky Steamboat. The genuine love, admiration, and respect that he draws from the NXT Universe is something you don’t just see, but feel as well. This is obviously a man who loves professional wrestling. When he talks of being out until next year, you can hear his heartache. When he speaks of recapturing the NXT championship, his voice is drenched in passion, and when he swears revenge on Kevin Owens, his eyes burn with intensity. Sami Zayn is very real, and that’s a skill that can’t be taught, no matter how good your performance center is.
2. Charlotte: After RAW on Monday, there has been some talk about which of the NXT women will make the biggest impact on the main roster. While I can’t answer that question, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that Charlotte is ready for the main roster. Even during her entrance on this week’s episode, she carried herself with a poise and confidence that only comes from a superstar. Her work in the ring was even better. Charlotte not only kept pace with Sasha Banks, but outpaced her at times, and most importantly, never lost focus of why she was there. During the match, things got so heated that her hair extensions fell out. Like a pro, Charlotte never once lost her focus. Instead, she amped up the intensity, slapped on her daddy’s famous Figure Four leg lock and made the crowd forget all about the potentially embarrassing situation. She might have lost the match, but Charlotte proved that a champion isn’t always defined by a title belt.
1. Sasha Banks: Who could possibly beat Charlotte for the number one spot on our list this week? None other than the woman who beat her to retain the NXT Championship this week. This match certainly had a passing of the torch kind of feel to it, and Sasha took advantage of her moment in every way possible. The Boss realizes that the NXT and now WWE Universes are watching her with great scrutiny, and that’s the kind of pressure that separates the can do’s from the can nots. This week, Sasha Banks proved that the pressure of representing the most talked about women’s division in wrestling would not grind her down, but only polish her up and make her shine like the diamonds encrusted in her NXT Women’s Championship belt. This match proved that Sasha is the real deal, you can bank on it.
Final Thoughts:
Thank goodness for the women of NXT. Without them, this week’s show would’ve been a total dud. I’m not sure if there was a strategy behind filling the show up with squash matches leading into the main event, but it did nothing for me. That match between Sasha Banks and Charlotte could have stolen the show regardless of its competition. There is no reason the rest of the card couldn’t have been beefed up a little. On the plus side, Sami Zayn gave a spirited and memorable promo, while a well done video package gave us some background on Baron Corbin and reasons to hate him. The footage from the NXT press conference at Comic-Con San Diego also helped push their next live special on August 22nd and give the main event between Finn Balor and Kevin Owens for the NXT Championship a big fight feel that you would get from Boxing or UFC. Perhaps Triple H has been watching his friend Ronda Rousey bring UFC big numbers with women on top and wanted to try the same thing at Full Sail University? Let’s hope so, because while the rest of the card was mediocre, the main event was a hit that saved this week’s episode for me.
