WWE NXT Review: Rob Van Dam vs. Adrian Neville
By Mike Smith
Aiden English promo/The Vaudevillains vs. two local wrestlers
With Simon Gotch holding a microphone up to English’s megaphone, English hyped The Vaudevillains like the ringmaster at a circus.
The Vaudevillains dominated the local guys. They got the win after hitting That’s A Wrap, the rolling senton followed by a senton from the second rope.
Sami Zayn backstage from last week
Zayn was angry after losing a tag team match to The Ascension when his partner, Tyson Kidd, left him to deal with Konnor and Viktor on his own. This is a good way to keep the story going from last week, seeing the immediate reaction that Zayn had. Zayn did a great job of really showing the frustration that’s building inside him, not just because of Kidd, but his failures in obtaining the NXT Championship.
Xavier Woods vs. Bull Dempsey/Bull Dempsey promo
It was Dempsey’s NXT debut, and he got the win with a move he calls the Bulldozer, which is a powerslam. Dempsey looked good, but he has a strange style of offense. Much like Bray Wyatt, he’s a bigger guy, but he’s surprisingly athletic. One key thing in this match, Dempsey never left his feet, which if they keep up with that, will build an aura around him.
After the match, Dempsey cut a promo about starting a new era. He said that “children” have been running the show for too long, and he’s the last of a dying breed. Good promo, all-around good start for Dempsey.
Summer Rae vs. Becky Lynch
Charlotte and Sasha Banks were at ringside. During the match, they mocked Summer as she begged for help, but they just watched and laughed as Lynch picked up the win. The BFF’s have had a few breakup moments at this point, but none of them have been definitive yet, have to think that moment is imminent.
Colin Cassady vs. Sawyer Fulton/Enzo Amore promo
Cassady squashed Fulton with an elbow drop.
After the match, Sylvester Lefort and Marcus Louis came out to attack Cassady, as the crowd chanted “Enzo”, and he came out to make the save. Enzo took a mic and said all his usual nonsense like “Bada boom, realest guys in the room”, the crowd was totally into it and said everything along with him, they chanted “Welcome Back” at the end. Great booking on this return, the crowd exploded for Enzo.
Adrian Neville vs. Rob Van Dam
Neville got the win with a Red Arrow. This match was awesome. If you ever wondered what it would look like to see RVD wrestle himself, watch this match.
Commentary caused two problems for this match. First, Tyler Breeze was on commentary for this match, and it was hilarious. It actually was a bit of a problem because it distracted a little bit from the match. Second, they hardly reacted at all to Neville beating RVD, which should be a huge deal.
Overall Impression
Two squash matches, an exciting return, a great debut, and an awesome main event came together to make up a really good episode of NXT. The NXT Universe is just better with Enzo Amore in it. Neville and RVD did an amazing job of taking this show home.
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