The Good, the Great and the Awesome from NXT 5/15/14

There were a number of reasons to enjoy the May 15 episode of NXT.

Whether it was the excellent main event between Sami Zayn, Tyler Breeze and Tyson Kidd or the Women's Championship tournament match between Charlotte and Alex Bliss, the brand presented another compelling show on the road to Takeover.

Solid wrestling and intriguing young talent have been a staple of NXT and reasons why it has been as critically acclaimed as it has over the last year. They presented both of those elements in spades Thursday night, and they have fans legitimately excited about their two-hour live special on May 29.

With the aforementioned matches and the freshening up of the tag team division, the show continued to build momentum and legitimize itself as the most fun and entertaining program produced by World Wrestling Entertainment.

Here is the best of the best from Thursday's episode.

The Good

Credit: WWE.com

Tag Team Growth

The Ascension's demolition of Buddy Murphy and Elias Sampson, who did not even get an opportunity to tag into the match, was the perfect example of everything wrong with NXT's tag team division.

Konnor and Viktor had been tearing through jobbers for the better part of three months with no end in sight. Then Kalisto and El Local appeared, challenged the NXT Tag Team champions to a match at Takeover and gave the entire division a much-needed boost.

How the company books that match should be interesting. Kalisto and El Local do not have to win the match, nor the titles, to make an impact. A competitive match that leaves the door open for a rematch further down the road and continues the rivalry is exactly what NXT needs in terms of tag team competition.

If the Ascension simply roll over their opponents as they have every other team to this point, the brand risks burning the audience out on the act.

The Great

Credit: WWE.com

Alexa Bliss vs. Charlotte

The Women's Championship tournament semifinal pitting rookie Alexa Bliss against Charlotte for a spot in the finals was an exercise in the "David vs. Goliath" formula, as well as a demonstration in just how rapidly the latter has developed as a worker.

Bliss got the action off to a hot start, nearly stunning Charlotte with the same tilt-a-whirl small package that proved to be Alicia Fox's downfall on last week's show. From there, however, Charlotte systematically and methodically picked Bliss apart with backbreakers and an abdominal stretch aimed at wearing the smaller competitor's core.

Her new finisher, dubbed "Bow Down to the Queen," proved to be the difference as she pinned Bliss to advance to the final of the tournament.

The growth of Charlotte as a performer between the ropes has been stunning—she has mastered her ring presence and is improving with every passing match.

With the spotlight shining brightly on her since February's Arrival, Charlotte is a favorite to leave Takeover with her first championship.

Commentary Team

William Regal, Tom Phillips and Byron Saxton have matured into one of the best broadcast teams on television.

They blend comedy with actual commentary about the matches unfolding between the ropes perfectly. Regal's ability to explain the psychology behind the moves and the reasoning for a certain wrestler's actions is a welcome addition.

Saxton has the ability to get the characters over, usually by telling stories about conversations he had with them earlier in the day, while Phillips is the straight man who tells the stories and calls the action.

It is a perfect mixture that benefits NXT tremendously.

The Awesome

Credit: WWE.com

The Triple Threat Match

This week's main event pitted Tyson Kidd, Sami Zayn and Tyler Breeze against one another in hopes of earning a shot at the NXT Championship at Takeover on May 29.

Breeze stood out as the workhorse of the match, but it was Kidd who scored the all-important victory by dumping Zayn out of the ring and finishing Breeze off with the top rope elbow drop.

A great match that capped off a fairly significant episode of NXT on the road to Takeover.

The only question remaining is where Zayn and Breeze go from here. Breeze has shown great growth over the last month, showing more aggression and intensity than ever before, while Zayn is, week in and week out, the best wrestler in development.

Perhaps they will engage in a program with one another, leading to a match with potential to steal the show come the 29th.

If not, all of the evolution of the Breeze character will have been for naught.