WWE NXT Results: Highlights, Analysis, and Grades for January 4

Source: WWE.com

The Revival (Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder) vs. Riddick Moss & Tino Sabbatelli

Result: The Revival defeated Riddick Moss & Tino Sabbatelli via pinfall

Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars

I like the team of Moss and Sabbatelli. Back in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, I pointed it out when they made their initial appearance as a team. They have a very bright future ahead of them in NXT, and hopefully in WWE one day.

Moss has one of the best fallaway slams I’ve seen in a long time. He got tremendous distance on Dawson – and that’s after he caught him out of mid-air. And Sabbatelli has “the look” that the top people in WWE covet in superstars (okay, Vince McMahon).

The thing about this match that was a little strange is the alignments. While undeniably popular with the fans, The Revival are clearly supposed to be heels. And based off their ring entrance and attitudes, Moss and Sabbatelli are heels, too. It’s an interesting way to kick off a live event, without a clear cut fan favorite for the crowd to get behind.

Of course, by mid-match, it seems that the rookies are supposed to be the babyfaces – Moss gets isolated, deals with double-teaming, makes the hot tag to Tino. Sadly, the crowd wanted no part of it until Tino press slammed Dash – an impressive maneuver, to say the least.

But Dash and Dawson are Top Guys, and they do Top Guy Things. So they put on a clinic in teamwork, blind tags, and rule-bending, until they’re just too much for the rookies. There’s a reason The Revival are on the short list of best tag teams in the world. A great counter into a Shatter Machine, and this one is over.