5 Ups And 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE NXT (May 4)
The Samoa Joe era begins!
NXT was back at Full Sail University for a brand new set of tapings, and leading the charge was NXT Champion Samoa Joe. Joe won the title from Finn Balor at a Lowell, MA, house show two weeks ago, and this episode of NXT TV marked his first appearance with the belt.
Furthermore, this episode featured the NXT (and WWE) debut of former TNA Champion Eric Young. Both Young and former partner/rival Bobby Roode left TNA in March over money concerns, and were rumored to be heading to WWE. Roode made an appearance at NXT TakeOver: Dallas (though he hasn't signed with the company yet), and it was Young's turn on the show that aired yesterday.
Joe and Young were longtime co-workers in TNA, and WWE played off the history between the two men by having Young confront the NXT Champion. That led to a match between them which headlined the broadcast.
Other stars of the brand, such as Austin Aries, The Revival, and Nia Jax were in action as well, rounding out an hour of wrestling that felt like it got NXT back on the road to the brand's next major show.
Still, it wasn't all smooth sailing - here are 5 ups and 3 downs from last night's episode of NXT.
8. Downs - Eric Young's Debut
Samoa Joe was cutting a great promo to open NXT when he was interrupted by the debuting Eric Young. Young, who got a great reaction from the fans at Full Sail University, told Joe that he collects championships and had his eye on the NXT Title. Joe, scoffing, said that Young didn't belong in the same ring as him and that he'd kick his !*$% the next time he saw him.
Joe's performance was great here, and there wasn't anything particularly wrong with Young's, but WWE's portrayal of him was weak. They counted on all of their fans already knowing Eric Young, which may have been fair, but they also counted on everybody already caring about him. Personally, I have nothing against Young, but in my limited exposure to TNA I saw him mostly as a comedy character. It was strange to see him jump right into a challenge to Joe, and the way the announcers put him over felt more like telling, not showing.
The material with which Young was working wasn't anything special, either. His line about collecting championships came off as generic, and Joe outclassed him when it came to showing personality. Again, WWE was counting on fans already caring about Young.