WWE NXT Review: Alex Riley Gets His Hands on Kevin Owens
By Mike Smith
WWE.com
Kalisto vs. Tyler Breeze
This match started off very slow, with Breeze being the more aggressive of the two. That aggressiveness worked for him originally, until Kalisto started doing the special things that only he can do, and that got him on the offensive. Kalisto was rolling, until he went for a springboard move, and Breeze caught him with a dropkick.
Breeze was using a bit of a methodical offense, until Kalisto caught him with that sick kneeling hurricanrana that sent Breeze forehead-first into the mat.
Kalisto went for a handspring off the ropes, and Breeze caught him with an awesome supermodel kick that looked unbelievable.
Kalisto got back into it and almost put Breeze away with an incredible 450 splash, but Breeze kicked out. Kalisto followed by going for Salida del Sol, but Breeze countered and caught Kalisto with a Beauty Shot.
Breeze defeats Kalisto via pinfall.
3 out of 5 stars – I didn’t know how much I wanted to see this until it was presented to me. They didn’t disappoint.
Alexa Bliss backstage
Bliss said that she was excited to show her hometown crowd what she’s capable of.
Her tone turned more serious, and she said it was also an opportunity to go against NXT Women’s Champion Sasha Banks, and to show her what she’s capable of.
Solid promo from Bliss. She’s really coming along.
Alex Riley and Finn Balor backstage
Riley was getting ready for his match with Kevin Owens, when Balor walked up.
Balor said that he’s getting his shot at Owens next week, and he will be watching Riley’s match with the NXT Champion, “like a hawk.”
Riley said that’s good, because he’s going to take everything that Owens did to him the past few weeks, and reciprocate all that back to him. He said there will be no tomorrow for Owens.
Balor warned Riley not to overlook Owens, otherwise, he’ll be the one who doesn’t see tomorrow.
Strong promo. They played off Riley’s emotion well here, setting him up for an obviously likely scenario, where he gets too emotional and that messes him up for the match.