So if you're part of the internet wrestling community, there's been this little promotion within the WWE that has been talked about for years for featuring some of the best wrestling in the world right now. Of course, I'm talking about NXT, so I wanted to give the brand a Year in PPV retrospective for its debut year for the WWE Network in 2014. Being a little late to the party, I decided to fully immerse myself in NXT by watching all the of the NXT episodes available on the WWE Network. It fills in enough context for the entire roster and shows me all the rivalries and storylines I'll need to know heading into the PPVs.
Without further ado, let's head to the first ever NXT PPV on the WWE Network...
1. NXT ArRival
In many ways, NXT ArRival is the first impression NXT left on a lot of the WWE Universe. How did it fare out? Pretty well actually. Admittedly, there's maybe one or two more squash matches than I would like, but the matches that last a lengthy amount of time are very well done. Opening the show with Triple H in the ring hyping up the NXT brand is one of the smartest things you could do to up the show's stock. An even smarter move was following that opening up with Cesaro and Sami Zayn. These two had an amazingly bitter rivalry and some really great matches together heading into this match that was going to serve as the culmination for everything they worked for. It was a battle for respect, from each other and all the fans watching. A great opening contest that set the bar high for the rest of the show.Later on in the night, another great rivalry culminated. This time, it was the heavily competitive feud between Paige and Emma for the NXT Women's Championship. They had a great match and it's refreshing to see women try to wrestle each other in a match full of psychology and submission moves. The main event, introduced by Shawn Michaels (which I gave a pretty good pop for), was their first ever ladder match for the NXT Championship. Bo Dallas and Adrian Neville put on a very solid main event that didn't rely too heavily on high spots. It was more of them having a match that just so happened to have a ladder involved. I like that every once in a while, it's refreshing to return the ladder match to its roots, and this was a proper way to end a very solid mainstream introduction to NXT.
Recommended
2. NXT TakeOver
With a few minor hiccups that I didn't care about in the first two matches, this show really kicked into high gear in quality once we got to the third match in the evening. In a battle to see who'd be the new number one contender, Tyler Breeze and Sami Zayn put on a spectacular contest. I really think this matched served as a coming out party for Tyler Breeze. He was certainly popular for his gimmick, but might have flown under the radar in terms of in-ring ability. Zayn really pulled some special moments out of Breeze in this match, letting the NXT fans know that Breeze was a force to be reckoned with in the main event scene.Then, we got the Women's Championship match that saw Natalya and Charlotte go at it for the vacant title. With Bret Hart in Natalya's corner and Ric Flair in Charlotte's corner, this was a battle for more than just a championship. This was a battle for supremacy as the greatest family in wrestling. And it's not a bad match. You can see Charlotte constantly improving as a performer based on the women she works with and Natalya was a great opponent for her to work with on a major show like this. And in the main event, Tyson Kidd challenged Adrian Neville for the NXT Championship. This was a pretty good main event for the evening, with the two being near equals in styles. Tyson would favor technical wrestling and Neville would favor a more high-flying style, but the two could trade and counteract styles as well. A solid match to close the show, but this was the second show in a row where the main event was overshadowed by a Sami Zayn performance. They better get that guy up to the main event level soon.
Recommended
3. NXT TakeOver: Fatal 4-Way
Speak of the devil. As the title for the show would suggest, the main event saw the NXT Champion Adrian Neville defend his title in a Fatal 4-Way against Tyson Kidd, Tyler Breeze, and Sami Zayn. This was a terrific main event match. All four had momentum heading in. All four stood a chance of winning. The pendulum was constantly swinging in everyone's favor. The ending really kicked the door open for a great storyline involving Sami Zayn and Adrian Neville. I really thought this was the first time the main event deservedly was the best match on the card.Although, that could be because a lot of the matches on the rest of the show ranged from a good 10 minute match to a mere squash. The NXT Tag Team Championship match was good with the Lucha Dragons challenging the Ascension. The NXT Women's Championship match was good with Charlotte and Bayley going at it. There was even a good in-ring segment where Hideo Itami made his debut. It's all good, but it all felt by the books in comparison to the main event. This was the only PPV NXT gave in 2014 where something felt missing. It was lacking a bit of spark. Hopefully, that is only a temporary feeling and the next show can really deliver to end the year on a high note.
Mild Recommendation
4. NXT TakeOver: R Evolution
And it all comes down to the main event. The NXT Championship was on the line as Adrian Neville defended against Sami Zayn. There were so many facets that made this match interesting. Sami's aggression heading into this match, fueled by his inability to win his biggest matches, created a dynamic that had fans in his corner and gave him a new attitude that had fans really believing he could win. Neville's recent cheating ways create a subtle heel turn without having to eliminate his high-flying offense. Zayn said if he lost the match he would leave NXT. There was so much on the line and they delivered an absolute classic match. One of the best stories told in the ring in 2014, and it ends the right way. Zayn wins the belt, celebrating with the entire NXT roster. Neville gives Zayn a showing of respect. And Zayn heads to the back with his best friend Kevin Owens when Owens brutally attacked Zayn. What an amazing cliffhanger to end one of the best PPVs I've ever seen since becoming a fan. Truly, on this night, Kevin Owens arrived in NXT and made an impact.
Highly Recommended
Thoughts: The future is in good hands based on what I saw with NXT in 2014. There were a few gimmicks I didn't care for, like Adam Rose, but the overall product had a great balance of good wrestling and deep characters. Guys like Sami Zayn and Adrian Neville were the glue throughout the year, and new guys would debut throughout the year and find their way into the mix. The tag team and women's divisions were also very impressive to watch. There's not much else I can say. The promos are well thought out, the matches are usually executed to the highest quality, and the superstars are very enjoyable. This is the kind of stuff I wish the main roster would give us on RAW and SmackDown. If you value professional wrestling, do yourself a favor and check out NXT from the beginning on the WWE Network. You can properly see this wonderful idea for a minor league show snowball into the best product the WWE has to offer today.
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