Review for WWE NXT - From Secret to Sensation

If you don't know what NXT is then you are missing one of the best TV Shows and wrestling that there is to watch. Anyone who is anyone in the WWE right now came from NXT and it is surprising that a Developmental Territory could be so successful.

Roman Reigns. Seth Rollins. Dean Ambrose. Bray Wyatt. Kevin Owens. Finn Balor. Rusev. Big E. Xavier Woods. Cesaro. Charlotte Flair. Paige. Sasha Banks. Alexa Bliss. Bayley. The list goes on and on...

This set, as has been their MO recently sees a countdown of the Top Twenty-Five NXT stars. Once again, I am not sure what they are basing this one, whether it is what they did in NXT or what they have done since then. However, unlike a lot of recent sets (like the Survivor Series one) I only found myself scratching my head a few times at the list.

Voted for by WWE Universe and I am glad that each section has interviews with some of the most prominent people to have come out of NXT. Spoiler Alert, if you plan on being surprised then you may want to skip ahead a bit...SPOILER:


25 Rusev was a great heel and he had almost a Taz feel and look at the beginning and he certainly made a huge impact when he got into the main roster.
24 Big E was a strong powerhouse and surprising he didn't have that much of a singles run before getting into the New Day gimmick.
23 Corey Graves. It is surprising to see how good he was before his injury but thankfully he went on to be a great announcer.
22 Bo Dallas is a great character and great in the ring it is just a shame that it didn't translate to the main roster.
21 Ember Moon is not one I'm familiar with, but I do hope I see more of her. They are right about the crazy hypnotic eyes.
20 Cesaro is such a gifted wrestler... but I just never connected with him. His recent stuff tagging with Sheamus has been great, but I don't ever see him raising beyond the midcard.
19 Tye Dillinger. Surely he should be Number 10 right? A great wrestler, but again I have never connected with him.
18 Tyler Breeze is such an anomaly. In NXT he was fantastic in the ring and the character was so over the top was amazing.
17 Baron Corbin. I hate Baron Corbin. He was just a big guy and the whole persona of him just doesn't work for me. However, he is a fantastic heel and it is so easy to hate him.
16 Becky Lynch is one of the best women to come out of NXT and she is almost the female Sheamus. When she is on form she is one of the best in the ring.
15 Bray Wyatt is one of the best characters to have come out of NXT. He was a perfect package of psychology, promo and in ring performance.
14 Neville is one of the best high flyers of all time. In NXT he dominated and it is a shame that he is being relegated to a Cruiserweight status when he could have easily been this generation's Jeff Hardy.
13 Samoa Joe is simply one of the best and I am so glad that he was able to build back to the best that he was in the past. I love watching him wrestle. It looks like it hurts and it probably does.
12 Paige is possibly the first female of the Women's Revolution. She looked amazing and her work in the ring was great. Her character was wonderful.
11 Alexa Bliss was great in the ring, but her debut character was so horrible, but her heel turn was perfect and it worked.
10 Charlotte seems a little too low, but then I guess her run on the main roster was better. She is great in the ring, though I hate her selling which always sounded like she was being murdered. However, she was an important feature of NXT and the Women's division.
9 Bobby Roode is far too high. He was only in NXT for a little while and yes he had some amazing moments but not many and a great theme song doesn't make that much of a difference.
8 Bayley should be on the top ten just for that match against Sasha Banks. She is simply one of the most loved NXT Women and her whole entrance the Hugging. It's all perfect and she is so great in the ring.
7 Kevin Owens is the example of someone who just grabbed every opportunity and made the most of every bit of it. He was just so good and his work since in the main roster has proved just why he was so good.
6 Sasha Banks was such a great character and the Legit Boss character was perfect. In the ring she was fantastic and again her match against Bayley is one of the best ever.
5 Sami Zayn is another example of someone who was just so much better in NXT. His work is fantastic and his character is just so great.
4 Shinsuke Nakamura is one of the greatest in the world. END OF STORY. He has the most amazing entrances and his charisma is insane. In the ring he is simply the best. END OF STORY.
3 Seth Rollins was always great and so his success on the main roster is not a surprise and his work in NXT was amazing as first champion.
2 Asuka is an enigma. She is one of the best women to ever get in the ring. Her work in NXT has been insanely great and hugely popular. She is terrifying and her work is brutal to watch.
1 Finn Balor is one of the greatest performers that has come through NXT. His Demon character is a great element to the already amazing charisma. Perfect entrance with the lights. He was so successful that it was unbelievable. His work in the ring is some of the best that I have ever seen.

Tag Teams are also looked at but my issue with this is they are all looked at in one block with no titles and so unless you know all the teams you might miss some of them.
On the Blu-Ray there are Eighteen matches and a further Five exclusive to the Blu-Ray. Though I wouldn't expect there to be everything on here, but I will say that it would be better to buy this as an accompaniment to the previous NXT Greatest Matches set. The reason is, like most sets, there are many matches that are missing. I can understand some, however the absence of Bayley against Sasha Banks from NXT Takeover: Brooklyn 2015 is a shock as is the absence of Samoa Joe against Shinsuke Nakamura at NXT Takeover: Toronto 2016. That being said this is a fantastic set of matches.

Highlights are a fantastic Fatal 4-Way for NXT Championship between Adrian Neville, Sami Zayn, Tyler Breeze and Tyson Kidd. What surprised me more about this match is that none of the four I particularly enjoy, however this match was an amazing display from all involved. Tye Dillinger against Bobby Roode is a great match and if you don't know who Bobby Roode is, trust me you will soon.
Finn Balor is featured in some fantastic matches against Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe and Shinsuke Nakamura and all are just perfect to watch in the ring and show why whether we are talking about their indy work or work in other companies why all of these men are such a big deal. Nakamura's match against Sami Zayn is also great and I can't think of anyone who could make that violin-entrance look and feel so cool.

The women in NXT were always a highlight and I am glad that they are represented properly on this set. At times their matches were better than some of the men in NXT. Asuka's matches against Ember Moon and against Bayley are fantastic to watch and if you want to know why her debut on the main roster is such a big deal then it is recommended to watch them. Bayley and Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte and Sasha Banks is a great match and I am surprised that they haven't done more of this and these 'Four Horsewomen' are quite clearly the best that came out of NXT. Sasha Banks is featured in three great matches against Paige, Becky Lynch and Charlotte and all four women are just amazing to watch.

NXT: From Secret To Sensation is a great set and certainly one that I would recommend. Though I'm not sure about the placement of certain people, I can't argue with what is said about them and the matches prove just how great they were in NXT. If you haven't experienced what NXT can offer then this might be the best taster. Hopefully, in years to come there will be a volume 2 with all the next stars that have come from there.