Kevin’s WWE NXT Review 3.18.20

Triple H and Tom Phillips host the show from WWE headquarters.

We start with a lengthy video package chronicling the history between Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano. They weren’t that close before their tryout but they got put together from day one in WWE. They both got told at the first tryout that it wasn’t going to happen. When they get to the Cruiserweight Classic, things changed. Ciampa asked to be part of it to face Johnny, who was already in. When they put on their great match, they kind of broke out. That leads to the TakeOver: Brooklyn II match against the Revival. The night that #DIY was officially born. Still, they lost that night but came back to win the gold at TakeOver: Toronto. Commercial break time.

The show returns with more of the video package. They toured Austalia and Japan with the titles, bonding more than ever. They evne lived together with Candice LeRae. However, Ciampa says he had banged up shoulders while Johnny claims Ciampa’s heart wasn’t in DIY anymore. SO, they dropped the titles to AOP. Ciampa says Johnny was the star in Toronto, which he never admitted before. Johnny says Ciampa had a thought of this #DIY thing possibly not working anymore.

Time for more after another break. Their first TakeOver main event was the ladder match against AOP that felt like their last shot. We get long highlights from the match, which #DIY lost. Ciampa then turned on Gargano. Johnny says he did it because he wanted Johnny gone as long as he was. Ciampa admits he did it so it could be his moment. Johnny slumped but rebounded and got an NXT Title shot. Ciampa waited and let him get his shot, which Johnny failed at. That’s why Tommaso waited to attack after the match. The next time, with Johnny’s career on the line, he interfered.

That leads them to TakeOver: New Orleans. We get highlights there. Johnny wins but Tommaso says he came out as the bigger star. Then, he beat him at TakeOver: Chicago and went on to win the NXT Title before Johnny. They had their rubber match and Johnny cost himself, losing to Tommaso. Neck surgery stopped his momentum.

Tommaso called it the best 280+ days of his life. While he was out, Johnny ended up winning the title. Clips air of Johnny’s title win. Tommaso showed up after the match to celebrate with him. Johnny says he was caught up in the moment seeing his best friend during a great moment. Tommaso went away to rehab and Johnny lost the title in his first defense. Johnny is annoyed that people cheered Ciampa so much upon his return. Still, Johnny does what the people wanted and reformed #DIY for Worlds Collide. Ciampa put his focus on Adam Cole and the NXT Championship.

Tom Phillips and Triple H welcome us back to the show. Back to the video package, which then cuts to a clip of the end of the Ciampa/Cole match from Portland. Tommaso notes that his stomach dropped when he saw Johnny at Portland. Johnny says his intention was to support him. Johnny says he saw the same look Tommaso gave in Chicago and when he spat on Johnny’s wedding ring. Tommaso says this is where he differs from Johnny. He let Johnny get his chance at a TakeOver title match. Johnny says the fans are too stupid to see. About the brawl last week, Johnny says Tommaso doesn’t give him a chance to explain and attacks him.

With that video over, the focus turns to Finn Balor and his return to NXT. We see highlights of him starting in NXT. After a break, we see his start on Raw and becoming the first Universal Champion. He keeps calling himself the best wrestler in the world. The injury forced him to vacate the title and the atmosphere changed. Finn says guys like Jinder Mahal, Bobby Lashley and Baron Corbin suddenly had their best matches and were pushed after facing him, rather than him getting the shine. It leads to Brock/Finn highlights. Brock made him realize that he had been missing that feeling he had against guys like Samoa Joe and Kevin Owens in NXT. Brock beat him but saved his life, bringing back his passion.

Finn wanted back into simply wrestling. He was out to please himself again instead of media and marketing. He starts to discuss Johnny Gargano, leading to clips from their Portland match. Finn promises to get what he wants from facing WALTER.

Triple H puts over what it means to have an NXT Title defended at WrestleMania. That takes us to a Rhea Ripley video package. She talks about how she got started and how she was scared. She had no personality and was compared to all other blondes, even Lana, just for her look. Heading into the next Mae Young Classic, she changed her look to be herself and she stood out. At the UK Women’s Title Tournament, everyone expected Toni Storm to win but Rhea proved that to be false and became the first champion. After that run, she arrived in NXT to step up to Shayna Baszler.

After the break, they talk about her huge week in November. She pinned Charlotte Flair, won War Games, and survived at Survivor Series. In December, she beat Shayna Baszler to get the thing she was missing, which was the NXT Women’s Title. She was the hot new thing in NXT. Then, Charlotte won the Royal Rumble and Rhea immediately knew that she wanted to challenge her. Charlotte eventually accepted and they’ll meet at WrestleMania. Rhea mentions that Mania isn’t in Charlotte’s world of big stadiums and crowds. It’ll be in Rhea’s world, the Performance Center. She promises to walk out as champion after pinning Charlotte.

7.0

The final score: review Good

The 411

No matches this week but it's understandable given the circumstances. Honestly, this still scored well because it was an entertaining show. The Gargano/Ciampa documentary-style stuff played out like a great episode of Prime Target. The segments for Rhea and Finn were also enjoyable. This won't work every week but it did here.