WWE NXT Review: February 25, 2015

Welcome to your NXT review! I am happy to be writing on the new website and hope to be writing on it for a long time to come.

Last week, we saw the return of an ECW original. On tonight’s show we get the return of The Brian Kendrick. It should be fun.

WWE NXT 2/25/15

The show opens with a Hideo Itami coming to the ring. We are going right into the in-ring action. I didn’t know that was possible on a wrestling show!

Hideo Itami defeated Bull Dempsey

They grapple and Bull knocks Itami down with a series of chops and a stiff looking elbow. Dempsey has Itami on the ground and tries to wear him out with elbow drops along with a chinlock. Itami gets back up and gets in a solid series of kicks followed by a dropkick into the corner. He whips Bull off the ropes and hits a dropkick for the win. Wow, that was fast. I guess it shows how highly the WWE thinks of Itami and how little they think of Dempsey. That works with me.

As Itami celebrates on top of the stage, Breeze lays him out. Breeze attempts to take a picture with his ridiculous selfie stick. But he takes too long and Itami recovers. They fight in the ring for a bit before Breeze bails. I think I could enjoy more encounters between the two. They are talented workers that I am worried are getting currently lost in the shuffle.

We get a video package for The Brian Kendrick. I am excited for his return. He is a solid worker who was simply overshadowed on the main roster. On NXT, he could thrive if they want to give him the chance. I support using these veterans to build the future stars.

Solomon Crowe interrupted the entrance of Dillinger/Jordan. He is backstage with a tablet. He says his mission is to win the NXT Championship and that “You’ve been warned.” I will have to see him more in the ring before forming an opinion but I enjoy his gimmick so far.

The Lucha Dragons defeated Tye Dillinger & Jason Jordan

Jordan uses his amateur background to get the better of The Lucha Dragons. He brings in Dillinger and the momentum swings. The Lucha Dragons uses a lot of solid double teamwork on Tye. Jason Jordan wants in but Tye won’t tag him in. Dillinger tells him to relax.

Dillinger briefly gets the better of Kalisto and finally goes for the tag. It is too late as Jordan jumps off the apron and walks out. With the distraction Kalisto hits the SDS and Sin Cara hits the Swanton for the win. Is this the end of the constantly losing Dillinger/Jordan team?

Balor is backstage. He says he’ll get to Owens in due time but he has a match with The Brian Kendrick tonight. That should be a fun pairing.

Baron Corbin defeated Tye Dillinger

Dillinger is in the ring demanding an answer with Jordan. He will fight whoever is supposed to be next. Unfortunately for Dillinger that opponent is Corbin. It takes twenty boring seconds later for Corbin to win. I have grown quite tried of Baron Corbin.

It is Charlotte’s turn to talk backstage. We learn that next week Charlotte has a rematch with Sasha Banks next week. Their one on one encounters have always been quite fun.

Tyler Breeze cuts a promo backstage. He tells Itami that he fell into his trap and he will crush him like a cockroach next week. As said above, I look forward to another solid match between the two.

Sami Zayn will return next week to the NXT universe. We see footage of Sami Zayn in Abu Dhabi. I wonder how much longer Sami will be a part of the NXT roster.

Becky Lynch defeated Bayley

The match is back and forth between Becky and the always-adorable Bayley. The crowd does dueling chants for both women. Becky gets early control with a series of leg drops and starts with a hold.

They go to the outside and Bayley hits a dropkick through the turnbuckle. They get back into the ring and Bayley is showing a good aggressive side hitting Becky with a series of elbows in the corner. Bayley goes to the top rope with Becky and hits a diving elbow. As Bayley looks to follow up with a suplex, Becky reverses it into an arm bar and Bayley is forced to tap. It was a fast paced match with some solid wrestling. Please keep up the great work ladies!

It is Rhyno’s time to talk backstage. He really plays up the talent in NXT and says he is there to bring intensity to NXT and climb the ladder to the top. He will apparently rip everyone in half with the “Gore!”. If you rip people in half with the “Gore” then you are doing it wrong Rhyno.

Kevin Owens has joined the announce team for the main event. He seems quite pleasant. The Brian Kendrick gets as pretty nice reaction as he enters the ring.

Finn Balor defeated The Brian Kendrick

The match begins with a lot of back and forth until Kendrick feigns a leg injury. As Balor hesitates, Kendrick is able to regain control. Balor catches Kendrick with a dropkick that sends Kendrick to the outside. They get back in the ring but The Brian Kendrick gets Balor down in a rest hold as we go to break. I should point out as the match occurs Alex Riley and Kevin Owens bicker at the commentary table. It ends with Kevin Owens leaving and saying he should go before he does something he shouldn’t.

As we return, Balor takes Kendrick on a tour of the corners and hits him with hard chops. Kendrick comes back with a tornado DDT for a quick two count. He goes back to the rope for a diving dropkick and follows that up for a tiger suplex for another two count. He goes for The Sliced Bread but Balor blocks it hitting Kendrick with the Slingblade and follows that with a shotgun dropkick. This is naturally followed by the Coupe de Gras stomp for the win. The match certainly picked up after the commercial break.

Post-match, Kevin Owens comes back out to stare down Finn Balor. Owens gives up on that and attacks Alex Riley. After he throws Riley over the announcer’s table he simply leaves. I guess that will teach Alex Riley from asking Owens any questions.

Final Thoughts-

The matches were a lot shorter but it was a solid outing by NXT as always. The match between Bayley-Lynch was well done. If you throw in a good main event you have another decent show.

I enjoyed seeing The Brian Kendrick. He always was a talented worker and worked well with Balor in the time he was given. I hope we see more of him in the future.

I do wonder where things are going with Alex Riley and Kevin Owens. Is Riley actually going to wrestle again? If you were getting back into wrestling, I don’t know if Owens would be my first choice. Seems Riley is being set up for a beating.

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Feel free to contact me at lasher@pacificu.edu. Additionally, I have my Twitter account, WWEBNRL as well. I would love to hear your thoughts on the return of The Brian Kendrick.