7 Ups From Last Night's WWE NXT (April 6)
A pitch-perfect recap show following TakeOver: Dallas.
Last Friday, NXT held TakeOver: Dallas, the most anticipated show in the brand's short history. Not only did the event live up to fans' high expectations, but it completely blew away WrestleMania 32. Shinsuke Nakamura's debut against Sami Zayn was a classic, and all three title matches delivered great action.
This week's episode of NXT was an in-depth look at TakeOver: Dallas, with a spotlight on each match and reactions from many of the competitors. There was also a brand new bout shown in its entirety, as Apollo Crews took on Elias Samson in a contest taped just before the TakeOver special.
The company did a great job of showing just how important the Dallas show was without taking away any reason fans who missed it would have to go back and watch it. Likewise, this broadcast wasn't redundant for those who had already seen the TakeOver special.
It is possible that some fans were disappointed by the lack of new development on this week's NXT - after all, this was arguably the brand's most important show of the year, and for comparison, the post-WrestleMania Raw is supposed to be full of surprises and hot angles. Such an explosive program wasn't really necessary, though - TV is supposed to function as a way to drive revenue, and there couldn't have been a single fan watching this broadcast who didn't come away with the desire to attend a live NXT event.
Here are 7 Ups from last night's NXT...
7. New Champions Crowned
The show opened with a clip package looking at American Alpha's NXT Tag Team Championship victory over The Revival, and as good as the package was, it didn't do justice to the quality of the match or the passion of the crowd. In the end, the challengers used the Grand Amplitude to score a huge win over Dash and Dawson and capture the belts.
After the package, a backstage post-match interview with the new champions was aired. It was an emotional talk with Chad Gable and Jason Jordan, with the culmination of Jordan's long journey in WWE developmental marking the apex of his career thus far. Gable was honored to be by his partner's side, and both men embraced to close the video.
American Alpha will be great NXT Tag Team Champions, great WWE Tag Team Champions, and great singles stars on the main roster. It's foolish to call any wrestler a "new version" of an old one, but when I see Jordan and Gable, I can't help but be reminded of Kurt Angle and Daniel Bryan, respectively.