There are very few times, during this era of wrestling, where I could legitimately say I was excited a proud to be a wrestling fans and it wasn’t a Wrestlemania.

So few, in fact, I can count them on one hand.

However, this past Thursday’s episode of NXT is now one of those times, as it was

one of their quarterly, 2-hour specials, entitled NXT Takeover: R-Evolution. I

have been very vocal in the past about my positive feelings towards the NXT

“developmental” brand in WWE and how, without a single doubt, THIS is the

future of WWE. From start to finish, bottom to top, this show was absolutely

spectacular. There were so many good things about the show, I can’t even list

them all, but I am going to list some of them. Let’s start with the obvious

point:

NXT IS BETTER THAN BOTH MAIN SHOWS!





There is no hesitation when I type these words; the two

cable television shows, in general, suck. Recycled storylines, same old main event

matches, and, the biggest factor of all, no real advancement or build-up of

truly gifted performers. Sure, you can argue guys like Ambrose, Rollins, Wyatt,

Ziggler and especially Reigns are the exceptions to that statement, but what

about others that have or are slowly getting lost in the shuffle?

Harper (yes,

I know he’s the IC champ, but this is really Ziggler’s push AGAIN), Rowan,

Paige, Emma, and most of all, Cesaro! These guys and gals were all hugely

successful down in NXT before making their main roster debuts, except Ziggler.

Now where are most of them? NXT’s show,

this past Thursday, made every main performer look amazing and that’s how every

show should be. It may just be me, but I felt as I watched the show there were

main players involved in every segment and all of them were equally important.

Obviously you had the show stealers: Zayn & Neville put on yet another

classic matchup, which told a great story, both in the build-up and the final

in-ring product; Kevin Owens had a hellava debut with an amazing crowd reaction

as well; and lets call a spade a spade, Finn Balor’s entrance ALONE was more

entertaining than Raw and Smackdown in the last three weeks. The feuds in NXT

are simplistic, easy to follow and are consistent, while the main roster will

run a storyline for a month then change everything up the next.

Maybe it’s just

me, but I also think the smaller production value actually adds more to the

show than what the big time production is of the two main shows. The quality

the NXT show gives me in 2 hours, or even the weekly hour show, is more worth

my viewing time than the five hours both shows give me each week.





BALOR, NEVILLE, ZAYN, OWENS, ITAMI AND OTHERS ARE FUTURE

MAIN EVENT STARS!





NXT has proven week after week it is shaping up the future

of WWE. Sami Zayn and Adrian Neville proved Thursday night they are both ready

for the main roster. Both men crafted a perfect match that got the audience

invested in and held their interest. Finn Balor & Hideo Itami (both of

which could have great singles careers, especially Balor) put on a great tag

team match with The Ascension and gave Konnor & Viktor a great send off to

the main roster.

Speaking of tag teams, The Vaude Villians and Lucha Dragons

put on a good tag team title match themselves. Hunico taking over the Sin Cara

gimmick again and teaming him with Kalisto was the best career move he could’ve

made. He now has someone that compliments him and his natural style and has

brought a new life and much needed reinvigoration to the Sin Cara character.

I’ve been a fan of Aiden English before he ever teamed with Simon Gotch, but

the two of them together have created quite an entertaining tag team.

Another

great team and, in my opinion, the most entertaining team in NXT is Enzo Amore

& Big Cass. Always cracking new and creative jokes and both men are great

in-ring hands. I believe all the fore mentioned teams can bring new life to

WWE’s lackluster tag team division. Sasha Banks & Charlotte had a

spectacular divas match and both women, along with Becky Lynch and Bayley can

help bring more credibility to the diva’s division.

Corey Graves asked the

question, who the next Roman Reigns will be, and my answer to that question is

Baron Corbin. There is something about Corbin that screams superstar and, even with

the obvious mimic of Goldberg and his quick match, winning streak, I see so

much potential in this guy being a huge main eventer. I look forward to him and

Bull Dempsey, who also has the same potential, locking horns, This could be

a great big man feud for the brand.

Finally, Kevin Owens showed everyone what

to expect from him; nothing but determination and dedication to being the

absolute best. I have been a fan of his since his Ring of Honor days and, if

his indie days are any indication to what we will see here in NXT/WWE, then we

are all in for a treat. All these men have unlimited potential to be great and

TAKE, not just grab, as many brass rings as possible. The only thing standing

in their way is Vince McMahon. Lets hope he doesn’t ruin the future by staying

stuck in the past.

By Travis F-H.

Follow us on Twitter @ WWERumblinRumor

Follow Him @ Travis_FowlHark

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