10 Thoughts on NXT – Nia Jax, Samoa Joe, Tommaso Ciampa

10 Thoughts, Top Story

JT on NXT logo

1. Oh, good. It’s Baron Corbin, looking particularly moist. His victim this week is Tye Dillinger, who must define ‘perfect 10’ differently to other people. Corbin looks blown out after the match despite the fact he didn’t actually do very much.

2. Crews & Balor vs Corbin & Joe next week has the potential to be good, as long as Corbin doesn’t spend too much time in the ring.

3. Nia Jax showed off her power game against the ever-eager Blue Pants, finishing things off quickly with a Samoan drop and a big leg drop. Anyone not watching Breaking Ground is missing out on some great beind-the-scenes action and a look at the real people behind the on-screen characters.

4. Dash & Dawson are good in the ring, but they’re a little light on charisma at this point. Dawson’s weird mustache thing is also distractingly black, reminiscent of Hollywood Hulk Hogan, which is probably not a good thing.

5. James Storm vs Adam Rose was a good display of Storms highly entertaining yet slightly sloppy style. Rose is better as a heel than a face, but seems destined for enhancement talent status.

6. Jordan and Gable are the most over tag team in NXT, and their match against the Vaudvillains was a lot of fun. That bump that Gable took over the top rope looked like it hurt.

7. I sort of recognize Liv Morgan, and poor Emma doesn’t even get an entrance. The match wasn’t anything to write home about, although Emma showed a nice vicious side before making Liv tap out. I’m looking forward to her match against Asuka in London.

8. Samoa Joe vs Tommaso Ciampa was hard hitting with a nice indie feel, and Ciampa looked strong in defeat. Match of the night.

9. That replay of Joe and Ciampa slapping the crap out of each other made me smile, I have to admit.

10. Excellent episode of NXT, with at least three matches that were better than anything on Raw. Takeover: London promises to be a good one…

JT is a hot air balloonist, writer and tattoo aficionado. He writes about movies, science, music, video games, action figures and professional wrestling.