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

NXT Tag Team Championship Match

TM61 (Shane Thorne & Nick Miller) vs. DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) (c)

Result: DIY defeated TM61 via pinfall

Rating: 2.7 out of 5 stars

I sat here for the majority of this match, and I couldn’t think of a single thing to talk about until the end. It’s upsetting to me, because I feel like this kind of match should be something that makes me super excited, but I got nothing from the first 75 percent of the match.

Part of the problem is the glut of tag team matches on tonight’s episode. This is the fourth match of the show, and the third tag match. That’s a lot. When you consider that both of the earlier tag matches were pretty good, you really need something special to stand out in the crowd. And for the life of me, I didn’t think anything was particularly special.

Another problem is that DIY had such a great match last week against Tozawa and Tajiri. This week, I just felt that it was a similar enough match, but not as strong as last week’s. TM61 are great, but they’re no Tozawa and Tajiri.

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I think TM61 overall is starting to wear thin on me. They always say wins and losses don’t matter, and to a certain extent that’s true. But at some point, Miller and Thorne need a big, impressive win that builds momentum. They are the most stop and start talent in a long time, and it’s hard to get into what they’re doing because of that.

That said, the ending kicked it up a notch. Gratuitous Tower of Doom spot aside – although, I like the twist of Miller sacrificing his partner to pull off the moves – once the intensity picked up for the last few minutes I got more into things. Ciampa’s powerbomb backbreaker is sick, and Thorne sold it like a champ.

With an already announced rematch pitting DIY against The Revival taking place next week, there was little drama here. Gargano and Ciampa retain, and head into a big match back in the States next week.