Review: WWE NXT Episode 271 (1.4.2015)

(SPOILERS AHEAD)

Episode 271 of NXT was all about Kevin Owens vs Finn Balor. And what a match they had. No match at WrestleMania surpassed it (even Orton vs Rollins). Episode 272 of NXT is…well, more about promoting Rhyno than anyone else it seemed!

Sami Zayn finally returned to NXT and after a quick explanation as to his absence got straight to the point: he wants his rematch. And wants to kick Kevin Owens ass! The crowd loved his return. And so did I.

Rhyno vs Local Jobber

Rhyno hits a Gore and wins. Barely a minute on the clock. On the back of Rhyno’s T-Shirt it says ‘The Future Is Now.’ Ironic? After the match Rhyno gets on the mike and says he wants the NXT Champion.

VERDICT: 1/10. Not even a match….

Bayley vs Emma

The weeks of frustration that Bayley has had due to Emma…and this is the result? It had the duration and the feel of a Raw Divas match. Short and unmemorable. Bayley wins after a roll up. The match never got going. Emma never showed any aggression…but isn’t that what she said Bayley was lacking? Bayley didn’t show much of anything here, either. After the match, Emma looked like she didn’t know what to do.

VERDICT: 3/10. Pointless match. Let’s hope it leads to something bigger.

PROMO-Becky Lynch says she deserves a match for the NXT Women’s Championship. And I agree!

Lucha Dragons vs Blake and Murphy

These two teams have had better matches. Again, time was a factor, and the ball failed to start rolling in this match. The high point was at the start of the match, with the Lucha Dragons patented suicide dive to the outside, and a moonsault to the outside from Kallisto onto Blake and Murphy. Blake and Murphy controlled most of the match with bland headlocks. Sin Cara gets the tag and goes springboard crazy, until he gets hit with a cheap shot. Blake and Murphy hit their finishers and it is over.

VERDICT: 4/10. The high spots gave it some entertainment value. But otherwise rushed.

PROMO-Rhyno interrupts an interview with Zayn. According to Rhyno, Zayn and all the other competitors are behind him for a NXT Championship shot. And how has Rhyno earned a title shot?!?!? I hope Rhyno is just cannon fodder for Kevin Owens.

Tye Dillinger vs Jason Jordan

I had forgotten that Dillinger and Jordan had broken up. Jordan dominated most of the match, which was a dud. Short and unsweet, it was over without any suspense. Jordan it’s a T-Bone suplex and gets the pin. Not much more to say about it. Jordan has potential, but we need to see more of him.

VERDICT: 3/10. The tag team broke up, and had this match…that’s all you need to know. If that.

Tyler Breeze vs Hideo Itami (2/3 Falls Match)

A 2/3 Falls match needs more than fifteen minutes. When the score was 1-1 is the first couple of minutes, I knew we were in for an ordinary match. Why didn’t they just drop another match (any one of them would do!) and give this match an extra five to ten minutes? Itami and Breeze don’t gel very well together, but they have worked hard in the past to give us a good match. They worked hard again here, but it was no different to any of their other matches. It heated up towards the end, and just as it built momentum, Breeze hit the Beauty Shot to win the match. We needed to see more aggression from the two (especially Breeze) due to their fairly heated feud (It also amused me that the commentators hyped up Itami’s appearance at the Andre the Giant Battle Royal. It was definitely not a Wrestlemania Moment. Firstly, it happened on the WrestleMania Pre-Show. Secondly, Itami was eliminated with ease by The Big Show).

VERDICT: 6/10. Given more time, it could have been something special. Instead, we were left with an above average match.

OVERALL VERDICT: 4/10. Below average. The main event didn’t save the show, either. Few storylines were progressed…and Rhyno was pushed…pushed…pushed! Why? Why? Why?

(Click here for my review of WWE NXT Episode 270)

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