-Ahhh the ol Grayson Waller pipe bomb. Damn. Didn’t see that one coming. Waller was excellent. He got an opportunity to break the fourth wall on stuff — something not every talent gets to do — and he took full advantage of it. The content of the promo was what it was. Meta and interesting if you knew what he was talking about. That wasn’t the magic of the promo. The magic of the promo was the delivery. It was the cadence and the confidence in which Waller spoke. He owned that ring and in an instant became the hottest act in NXT. A job well done and a massive boost to the men’s division down in NXT.
-Wow. What a match between Izzi Dame and Lizzy Rain. Say that 10 times fast! This was the best Izzi Dame match yet. Hard-hitting, clean action, and selling. Good stuff.
-How do you finish up the Shawn Spears and Izzi Dame feud? They obviously won’t be having a match, so the challenge now is wrapping up the program somehow without them fighting. A tough putt.
-The setup throughout the night for Lola Vice vs. Kendal Grey next week in NXT Underground was so refreshing. Well-produced, but worked even better by Vice and Grey. They sold their different — but likable characters — and framed them around the match next week and the NXT Women’s Championship. The videos did a wonderful job putting hype on the match and will do the job in pulling in some viewers.
-Another oddball pairing storyline is cooking. This time it’s Jaida Parker and Thea Hail. More of the same with this one. Parker was better off on her own where her character and personality could shine brighter.
-What’s with the “break” addition to the Myles Borne gimmick? Doesn’t Bron Breakker do that exact little pose Borne did this week? Borne is Borne and has a true babyface aura that protects him from weird stuff like “break.” Still. Why add that? What’s wrong with just letting the guy do his thing? He’s gotten over without a lot nonsense and that’s a testament to his talent.
-Borne retained his NXT North American Championship against Kam Hendrix. A fine match that setup the post-match angle between Tavion Heights, Borne, and Vanity Project. That tag match is next week and this put some juice on it. Straightforward, but efficient.
-Birthright won a match? Holy smokes. Lima at odds with his partner because of his AAA faction is incredibly forced. It’s just not a very compelling story because it would be very easy for him to just pick a side. Why the drama?
-Another win for Shiloh Hill over Tristan Angels. No surprise there. Hill has legit upside and Angels appears to be a one trick pony at this point. A Hill victory was the only way to book this thing with that reality in mind.
-Cruz Montana — formerly known as Mike Santana — has had a wild few years and his promo this week captured the journey and how much it meant to him. He’s a strong addition to the NXT roster. There are plenty of different roads to travel down with Cruz right now, but this week it was about establishing him as a key player and using his journey to connect with the crowd. Mission accomplished on both fronts.
Did you like the worked shoot nature of the Grayson Waller promo this week? Let us know in the comments!
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