NXT Review

This past week, the NXT Rivals special aired and the tremendous show continues to receive rave reviews from many fans on social media. While the entire card was solid, three bouts were particularly good and they were a prime example of why the NXT brand has generated such a buzz in recent months.

Fin Balor and Adrian Neville arguably stole the show with a physical match that featured some spectacular aerial offense for the number one contender spot for the NXT title. Shasa Banks won the NXT Women's title in a four way match that proved woman wrestlers can showcase athleticism that presents an importance to a major title match. This wasn't a four minute divas match to pace the show prior to the main event at a pay-per-view, but rather a featured match that allowed all four competitors to showcase their skills. Kevin Owens challenged Sami Zayn for the NXT title and their history of wrestling on the independent scene was used as the basis of the feud. Owens and Zayn had several solid matches before they were signed to NXT so it's no surprise that this was a solid main event for the Rivals special. The finish was very unique as well, as the referee stopped the match after Owens hit several power bombs on Zayn and it sets up for a rematch. The stoppage could have fell flat, but Zayn selling the power bomb made it work and it also helped establish Owens as the new champion.

So, what made the event stand out? While the in ring action was great, I think the element that made it an intriguing show is the emotion that was displayed during the matches. The emotion that was portrayed from the competitors emphasized the importance of the titles and it can translate to the audience. There was a sense that the wins were important and there was a special event atmosphere for the show, which isn't always the case for some of the main WWE pay-per-view events. After an intense match, Balor and Neville shook hands, which enhanced the result of the match. Bailey seemed somewhat emotional on her way to the ring, as did Charlotte and Shasa Banks at the conclusion of the match, which helped establish the women's division. After Kevin Owens won the NXT title, he was very emotional as he displayed the belt to the crowd, which increases the prestige of the championship. Basically, if there's a sense of importance placed on the show and it's portrayed as important from the performers, it's perceived as more important to the audience. The fans can identify with the characters and it gives them a reason to tune into the show because there's more of an emotional investment into the show.

After such an entertaining event, what's the goal for NXT? During his appearance on the Stone Cold podcast, Triple H said that the booking for NXT wasn't as strict as the main brands and he also mentioned on Twitter that the WWE was building towards establishing it as its own brand. Will the success of these NXT shows lead to evolving the main roster and the use of a less restrictive booking style of the main shows? It's possible and it will be interesting to see if the seemingly successful NXT formula influences the presentation of the other main brands.

However, it should be noted that comparing Raw or Smackdown to NXT is almost apples to oranges because the developmental brand doesn't have to work around commercials or sponsors during the show. It's somewhat comical that some smart marks think that they are "better fans" if they praise NXT and complain about the main roster on social media, but they are still paying for a WWE product. Don't get me wrong, NXT is great, but the main roster has many stars that draw a lot of money for the company and so it shouldn't be discounted because it's a main stream product. Regardless, if some NXT stars are the future of the WWE, it could provide some great matches and it will be extremely interesting to see what stars eventually transition to the main roster.