The Good, the Great and the Awesome from NXT 3/20/14

With seven days to go until "Vengeance" week on NXT, the WWE developmental program delivered a very fun, highly entertaining filler show featuring an appearance by former WWE and World Heavyweight champion Sheamus.

The Celtic Warrior took on "The Artiste" Aiden English in a hard-hitting main event that saw Sheamus not necessarily beat English but merely survive.

Sami Zayn returned to NXT for the first time since defeating Corey Graves two weeks ago and was scheduled to take on Tyler Breeze in singles competition. Graves, however, had other plans for Zayn.

Sasha Banks attempted to knock the happy out of Bayley as they met one-on-one. With Charlotte and Natalya at ringside, there was plenty of potential for chaos. Would Bayley score the upset victory over Banks and put a kink in Banks' plans to challenge for the NXT Women's title?

The Adam Rose Experience returned to NXT, and Mojo Rawley got hyped just in time to take on Bull Dempsey.

Where did all of the above rank in this week's "The Good, The Great and The Awesome?"

Let's take a look.

The Good

Credit: WWE.com

Mojo hypes up, beats Dempsey

Mojo Rawley faced a much tougher fight from Bull Dempsey than anyone could have foreseen. The two had a very competitive match to kick off this week's broadcast.

Dempsey, an old-school brawler, used his hard-hitting strikes to drive Rawley to the mat. He controlled the majority of the brisk match, but Mojo was able to fight back and score the win following Hyper Drive.

The match was one that was absolutely necessary for the development and evolution of Rawley as a performer. Fans have seen him tear through competition in impressive squash matches, but it was time to see how he reacted to a challenge.

He reacted very well, selling the offense of his opponent admirably, and he will be much better for it in the long run.

The post-match celebration with Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots, a former college teammate of Rawley's, added significance to the win.

"I will humanely dispose of Mojo."

CJ Parker's backstage promo about his loss to Rawley at Arrival was good, and it should have fans looking forward to his rematch with the former college football star. It is the type of work Parker must do to recover from his disappointing babyface run.

Parker never got over with the vocal NXT audience by portraying a spacey hippy, but as an angry environmentalist, he has the opportunity to get all of his frustration over his failed push out of his system through emotional promos.

It was a good start Thursday night as he did a great deal to put over his match with Mojo next week.

The Great

Credit: WWE.com

Bayley vs. Sasha Banks

One of the positives of NXT is that the Divas are allowed the opportunity to have lengthier matches than they would on Raw. They can also experiment with in-ring styles that are different from the cookie-cutter ones utilized by most of the Total Divas cast on Monday and Friday nights. 

They are also given stories to tell inside the squared circle, and they do so better than anyone on the main roster.

Bayley and Sasha Banks both told a story and had a physical contest, something that has become common in matches involving Banks.

The Boston native has a fierce style that incorporates open-hand slaps and displays great facial expressions that really put over the emotion she experiences during her matches.

Bayley scored the win off a ringside distraction, but one cannot help but feel as though the issues between the Divas are far from over.

With Natalya vs. Charlotte announced for next week's show, expect both Bayley and Sasha to be at ringside with their friends and potentially be involved in the outcome of the match.

Sami Zayn attacked

Corey Graves' sneak attack on Sami Zayn Thursday night may have robbed fans of what could have been a very entertaining match between Zayn and Tyler Breeze, but it set the stage for a much better match between Zayn and Graves on a future episode of NXT.

The match between the duo two weeks ago was solid enough, but one cannot help but feel as though there is potential for a greater match between them.

With Zayn's pre-established knee injury and Graves' reliance on the Lucky 13 submission hold, it is a wonder that Thursday's attack did not focus on the knee of the Canadian competitor.

As it was, the attack was a suitable way to further the rivalry and set up the eventual match.

The Awesome

Credit: WWE.com

Sheamus vs. Aiden English

This week's main event was a hard-hitting match between WWE Superstar Sheamus and one of the more interesting and entertaining characters in NXT, Aiden English.

Sheamus went out of his way to showcase English, giving him plenty of offense throughout the lengthy bout.

The Celtic Warrior picked up what amounts to a largely meaningless win. But much like Cesaro helped Sami Zayn, Sheamus really heightened the awareness that fans will have of English in the weeks and months going forward.

The Adam Rose Experience

Adam Rose is the most fun character in WWE at this point, and he again proved why as he took on Camacho Thursday night on NXT.

While the entrance is great and the crowd eats up his antics between the ropes, the most intriguing aspect of the Rose character is what happens when he is angered.

For the second time, Rose unleashed a rage on his opponent that few could have expected from the master of fun. His vicious rights and lefts (not to mention the elbow strikes and spinebuster he incorporates) are signs of a wrestler with much more beneath the surface than the flashing lights and party music would suggest.

Rose is already one of the most popular performers in NXT, and it should be a pleasure to watch the character evolve over the next few months.