Quick review of NXT’s CW premire and preview of WWE Bad Blood

So, the first edition of NXT on the CW is over, and I have to say that they showed the world how to make a strong first impression on a new network. Here’s my quick review of the show, and if you read my previous predictions column, I actually got all the match results right!

The show started with HBK addressing the crowd, and having HHH come out as well was a nice touch to get the crowd going.

The first match of the night was Giulia vs. Roxanne Perez, and quite frankly, I was expecting more from these two. For all the hype surrounding Giulia, I think she was exposed in that match. It showed how you might be great outside of WWE, but it’s another thing to adapt to the WWE style. Giulia is having problems adapting and needs more practice. That said, this was a pretty good match overall, and as I predicted, Roxanne retained, which was the right thing to do. The return of Cora Jade was a nice surprise and gives a reason for Giulia to stop chasing Roxanne for a while. Now Roxanne can move on to her next opponent, Stephanie Vaquer, while Giulia feuds with Cora.

Next, we had Wes Lee vs. Zachary Wentz in a street fight, and what a fight it was! The crowd was hot throughout the match, and these guys didn’t disappoint, finding many innovative ways to use their environment. It was an awesome fight, and in my opinion, the right guy won.

Then we got the Miz TV segment with Oba Femi and Tony D’Angelo. This, in my opinion, is how you build hype for a title match. Both guys brought their A-game, while Miz stayed in the background. Now, it made fans believe that Tony has a shot at beating Oba next week.

After that, we had Jada Parker and Lola Vice vs. Fatal Attraction, which was your standard cooldown tag match. The match was as good as it was going to be, and as I expected, Jada turned on Lola, costing them the match. The post-match was also pretty good. Having Bianca and Jade come out to help Kelani gave an instant rub to Kelani and the Fatal Attraction girls. Now, we have a six-woman match set up for next week.

Shoutout to the great video package for the Je’Von Evans and Randy Orton match we’re getting next week. I expect Orton to really go out and put on a show, giving Evans a rub to make him look like a superstar.

Now for the main event, Ethan Page vs. Trick Williams. While it was predictable that Trick would regain the title, both delivered an awesome match despite the little time they had left. We ended the show with a great visual of Trick with the title as the crowd went wild for his win.

In the end, this was a great edition of NXT. Now it’s all about how they follow this up. If I were them, I’d make NXT a touring brand like Raw and SmackDown instead of filming at the Performance Center. Tonight, the show felt as big as the main roster shows, and it helped everyone performing.

Now, here are my predictions for this Saturday’s WWE Bad Blood…

Bayley vs. Nia Jax for the WWE Women’s Title: I see either Bayley winning the championship because of a miscue from Tiffany, which would cost Nia the match, or this is when Tiffany finally cashes in the briefcase. Nia might keep the belt, but I doubt that will happen.

Priest vs. Balor: With everything Judgment Day has done to Priest, I see him finally getting his revenge on Balor and moving on to something else.

Rhea Ripley vs. Liv Morgan for the Women’s Championship: Just like with the previous match, I could see Rhea winning the belt back. This won’t go off without a hitch, and I feel like Dominik will try to interfere even though he’s locked up in a shark cage. In the end, Rhea will be the new Women’s Champion.

Hell in a Cell: CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre: This is going to be the match of the night, in my opinion. It’s either going to open or close the show. Hopefully, no one gets seriously injured during the match, and if all goes well, Punk will win and finally put an end to this awesome feud, allowing him to move on to slowly build his WrestleMania program with Seth.

Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes vs. The New Bloodline: Hopefully, this match opens the PPV, giving Punk and McIntyre the chance to close the show. It’s hard to predict, but since I feel like this will set up the WarGames match in November, I could see the Bloodline cheating to beat Cody and Reigns. They might try to beat them up after the match, only for a returning Jimmy Uso and someone else to come in and save them.

So, those are my thoughts on both NXT and Bad Blood. Looking at everything going on in WWE right now, I think it’s an exciting time to be a WWE fan!