By Darren Gutteridge
NXT Hits
Apollo Crews vs. Christopher Girard: This was a nice debut for the artist formerly known as Biff Busick. The result was never in doubt, but he made an impression by catching out Crews a few times. I also liked the hints of aggression shown by Crews – the character needed to show something coming out of his back to back losses to Finn Bálor, and this was a good start.
American Alpha vs. Blake and Murphy: While I would have to be in a foul mood to give a Jason Jordan hot tag a Miss, this match isn’t a particularly enthusiastic Hit. It held my attention, but the Gable section wasn’t all that exciting, and I was ready to see a reversal of the usual formula with Jordan getting worked over and Gable getting the hot tag. Instead we got an extended squash, but that does admittedly constitute smart booking if American Alpha are being set up to face Dash and Dawson.
NXT Misses
Overall Show: Though the Hit to Miss balance is even, this show disappointed overall. While none of the Misses are too bad, none of the Hits are great either. Team that with a quiet crowd and the end result is a chore of a show.
Bayley and Carmella vs. Nia Jax and Eva Marie: While not as bad as expected, there was nothing here I could deem “good”. Eva Marie continues to show why she may be the worst seller in history, Jax still looks sloppy, and while Carmella showed flashes of fire, it was ultimately too little to make a difference. Let’s get Bayley out of this ASAP.
Tommaso Ciampa vs. Bull Dempsey: This match just made me sad. I remember when Dempsey debuted, and I thought there could be something to him as a roughhousing heel. Instead, he ducks out at the bottom of the card working a joke gimmick. The momentum behind Ciampa does interest me, but I’m afraid that sentiment was overshadowed here.
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