NXT’s New Roster Showcased after Wrestlemania

from: Cultofwhatever.com

Last night’s pre taped episode of NXT in Dallas, at Wrestlemania Axxess was an opportunity, for some new talent to come up from developmental.

Some of the wrestlers we’ve seen before, but it was always clear that they were just in the ring to take a beating from the popular wrestlers on the roster and make them look good.

No, this time they came out with theme songs, shiny gear and new attitudes, to prove that they were getting the green light, to bring out that fire to make it big on the NXT roster.

The night started off with a familiar face, Angelo Dawkins. You might have seen him in jobber and occasional tag team matches taking the brunt of the attack from his opponents.

Tonight was a coming out party of sorts for him, he had a chance to walk down the aisle and show off a much more confident, dare I say cocky version of his persona.

The fans seemed like they were investigating him and putting him on probation. Which is normal, sometimes it takes more than one match to see if a wrestler has the “IT” factor.

Angelo’s chemistry in the ring with Austin Aries was quiet impressive. Austin was able to really show off his amazing acrobatic skills and equally matched mat work with Dawkins.

Angelo really knew how to take whatever Aries was throwing at him and that takes talent. I’m looking forward to seeing more of him, and watching to see if the character will become equal to his great wrestling skills.

Tessa Blanchard (daughter of Tully Blanchard) debuted at the taping, going up against Alexa Bliss.

Tessa did a great job of being the quintessential babyface to Alexa’s icy heel persona. The agony that Tessa showcased in every hit that was given to her was perfect.

She tried to make a come back and the crowd was even behind her, but Alexa put an end to that. With a swift and effective finisher, Alexa took the win for the night.

I can see Tessa becoming a stable fixture on the NXT roster, she has the experience, with working the indy scene for a few years now and working some great promotions like Shine, WSU and Queens of Combat.

The NXT crowd has already taken a liking to her. This could be a great sign for the third generation wrestler.

Tucker Knight went up against Baron Corbin and I think I just need more time to evaluate how I feel about him.

He seems like he could have something there. However, it was really difficult to see that with the quick match that he had.

Tucker seems like he knows how to use his size to his advantage, so he might be one those powerhouse type of guys but it’s too early to determine that.
Liv Morgan, who has been seen occasionally on past NXT episodes faced Bayley.

As soon as she entered the arena, Liv received a great response from the crowd.
She fed off of that and brought that New Jersey swagger that the fans love.

Liv showed great confidence and resilience going up against the biggest talent in the women’s division right now, Bayley.

She delivered great offensive moves and showed that she wasn’t intimidated by the Four Horsewomen.

Sadly, Liv didn’t take home the victory for the night, but I think that this showed the booking team that they can run with Liv, to be a part of the new Women’s division, because she soars under pressure.

Tonight was also the NXT TV Debut of Shinsuke Nakamura.

Everyone, including myself was looking forward to seeing this match between Nakamura and Tye Dillinger.

I am saddened to report that this match, in my opinion, was not that great.

As talented as these two are, I just didn’t feel the chemistry between them.

Now, this may be that my mind is still clouded by that epic match that Shinsuke had with Sami Zayn at Takeover, but it just didn’t satisfy my need to really see Shinsuke take it to Tye.

Don’t get me wrong, there were things that were entertaining about this pairing. The comedic mocking of one another was quite funny and showed the light heartedness of the match but it seemed like the match never really started.

It was over before it even began.

Which is not the fault of either competitor, they really only had maybe seven minutes to compete.  Oh, well, there’s always next week.

My overall opinion of the Dallas Texas episode of NXT, is that it reinforced the promise to always showcase the newer talent in the business and give them the spotlight that they deserve.

NXT will continue to flourish because of the amazing scouting team that they have.

Also,the great care that the coaches and the rest of developmental team take of building up their roster, and never putting wrestlers on TV until they feel that they are absolutely ready.

Can’t wait to see what next week brings!!