“We had a vision for change, you made it a revolution. We told you that we are the future, until you told us that the future is now.”

    With those words at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn, Triple H summed up the huge success that NXT programming has had since it replaced FCW as the WWE’s development brand. Now for the first time, WWE Home Video has brought us a compilation dedicated to NXT with Greatest Matches Volume 1 which takes us from the early days of the revolution right up to the end of 2015.

    The main draw on the set are the 18 matches (plus an extra 5 exclusive to BluRay). We kick off with a couple of NXT Championship matches featuring NXT’s biggest “main roster” success so far, Seth Rollins. That he faces Jinder Mahal in the final of the tournament to crown the inaugural NXT champion might suggest that in the early days, at least, NXT wasn’t all that different from “WWE” the match isn’t bad at all. Much better is a No Disqualification Match against Big E Langston. Those who only know E as the fun loving New Day member might be surprised with his display here and there must be a hope that one day, Big E might be able to show the steely dominance he does here on Raw and Smackdown.

    Chris Jericho makes a trip to Full Sail to take on Bray Wyatt, in a decent enough encounter, before we get to our first Women’s match on the collection, the Championship Tournament Final between Paige and Emma. It’s a good match, albeit one that can’t hold a candle to some of the Women’s action that is still to come.

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    Cesaro and William Regal clash in a pleasingly “European” style match

    There’s a, ahem, mini Cesaro section next as we take in two of his NXT matches. A 2 out of 3 falls match with Sami Zayn is an understated masterpiece. Deliberately slow placed (of a fashion) for the first two falls it bursts into life for the last one, in a perfect example of how throwing everything in at the beginning of a match just because you can is counter productive. It’s the slow burn build of drama and action that makes the finale so thrilling. A match against William Regal is a little bit of a step down, but it’s always a pleasure to see Blackpool’s finest in the ring and Cesaro’s wealth of international experience means that he can work with almost any style of opponent.

    A ladder match from the NXT Arrival special between Bo Dallas and Adrian Neville is fun but watching it in 2016 does somewhat send your thoughts to the underwhelming way both were subsequently booked on the main roster. Another Women’s Championship Tournament final match between Charlotte and Natalya is livened up somewhat by the ringside appearances of Ric Flair and Bret Hart before we get a look at the ever entertaining Tyler Breeze and the debut of his #MMMGorgeous Music Video. If nothing else, the toe-tapping vignette is a reminder that NXT does a fantastic job of introducing character to the roster.

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    When will Sami Zayn follow Adrian Neville’s journey from NXT to the main roster?

    After the earlier Cesaro section we then get a duo of Sami Zayn matches. A match against Tyson Kidd is exciting and action packed but that is out-gunned by the awesome NXT Championship match between Zayn and Adrian Neville. Simple, but effective, storytelling meshes with the high-octane action to produce something special. And the post-match angle is included too!

    We then take a look at the “Four Horsewomen” and the Fatal Four Way match for the Women’s Championship from Takeover: Rival between Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch and Bayley. It’s superb stuff and probably the first time where the “Diva’s Revolution” really could be said to be taking hold. From the same event we also get the Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens NXT Championship match, which goes a little “old school” but is a drama laden epic.

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    Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn’s rivalry started long before either man made it to NXT

    Adrian Neville and Cesaro have a good match, before an “Arena Cam” treats us to a fun Hideo Itami and Tyler Breeze battle (without commentary). It couldn’t possibly be an NXT collection without a bit of Enzo & Cass and they team with Carmella to take on Blake, Murphy and Alexa Bliss. It’s not a five-star classic but it is plenty of fun and it’s another example of how great NXT is at making sure that everyone has a character. There’s very few people on the roster who simply fill a space.

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    A 36 year old man probably shouldn’t cry at a wrestling match. But hey, I’m man enough to admit I did…

    The Beast In The East showcases Finn Balor’s “homecoming” of sorts in Japan as he battles Kevin Owens for the NXT Championship in a great match. Then comes what was, in my eyes anyway, THE greatest match of 2015 as Sasha Banks and Bayley clash over the Women’s Championship at Takeover: Brooklyn. That six months later I still cannot watch this match without bursting into floods of tears is a testament to how perfectly things came together. It’s proof that a dedication to long-term storyline arcs can still pay off in the modern era. The DVD finishes with the fun final of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic as Finn Balor and Samoa Joe take on Baron Corbin and Rhyno. What’s perhaps most remarkable is the fact that a WWE show (which NXT is, after all) respectfully honoured the memory of Rhodes without resorting to a cheap heat turn during the post-match presentation!

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    As mentioned the BluRay adds five exclusive matches. Of most immediate value is a CM Punk & Seth Rollins versus Antonio Cesaro & Kassius Ohno match but there’s also fun encounters between Adrian Neville and Corey Graves (in a 2 out of 3 falls match) and Apollo Crews against Tyler Breeze. Two women’s matches, between Paige & Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks & Charlotte, are good value to.

    As well as the matches there are also some interesting vignettes/sections dotted throughout the compilation. Triple H pops up quite a bit, naturally, as he talks about his vision for NXT, how he pitched the first Takeover special as a way to test the capabilities of the WWE Network and also some candid “backstage” footage as he chats to the NXT roster. What struck me the most were his words on the decision to let the Women become “athletes” in NXT. It had never occurred to me before, but you really got the sense that having three daughters almost inspired him to allow the women to be presented as serious athletes. Other talking heads that pop up include Daniel Bryan, Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins and the “Four Horsewomen”. For once on a WWE release all the talking heads and interludes add value to proceedings.

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    Triple H has brought in talent from all over the world to NXT.

    It would be difficult to fail to produce a great compilation of NXT matches but this collection really does hit the spot. It has the right mix of historically important moments, excellent matches and insightful commentary from the roster and outsiders. It also does a fairly neat job of wrapping up all the elements of NXT that make it such a breath of fresh air and such a rounding success. All in all, this is a must have set.


    Photos courtesy: Fetch, Fremantle Media

    Format reviewed: Blu-Ray

    Thank you to our partners, WWEDVD.co.uk and Fetch for providing our review copy of NXT’s Greatest Matches Volume 1, which is available on DVD & Blu-Ray in the UK on Monday 14th March 2016. You can buy your copy from WWEDVD.co.uk now by clicking here