-A strong opening contest this week between The Family and Carrillo/Garza. D’Angelo and Stacks have a ceiling on them because of the gimmick, but they sure play it well.
-There were quite a few backstage segments on this week’s show and none of them stood out in a major way. Nathan Frazer and Ilja Dragunov arguing back and forth didn’t make either babyface look very likable. Dragunov is very strong in the ring, but still has not clicked as the guy that should be drawing eyes to that brand and show on a weekly basis.
-A Nikkita Lyons sighting! Lyons earned some notoriety prior to her injury, but I need to see more from her. Right now she’s playing wrestler out there and it comes across as phony and sarcastic. Not a fan.
-Kelani Jordan had the best match of her career this week on the show against Kiana James. Jordan still has a long way to go, but for the first time you were able to see why WWE is as high on her as they are. She needs to find fire and intensity, but has the athleticism and likability to be a star that people will watch.
We need the old Roxanne Perez
-James was protected with the finish thanks to Roxanne Perez interfering. Perez is a lost act right now. NXT clearly attempted to give her an edge and a sense of aggressiveness, but she has a hard time playing that part. Instead, the new tweak makes her come across as annoying and whiny. She’s got an incredibly high ceiling, but very much needs to find a clear direction for her character and then try to go there.
-Just keep giving me more Andre Chase. This storyline is a fun part of the show each week and this week wasn’t any different. Like The Family, Chase has a ceiling on him because of the act, but he plays into it so successfully that it just works when it probably shouldn’t. Great stuff.
-Bron Breakker destroyed Eddy Thorpe this week on the show to qualify for the Iron Survivor Challenge. No surprise there. Breakker is a favorite to win the challenge at Deadline, so it made sense for him to go over in dominant fashion this week. That said, Thorpe has something, so I hope this isn’t a sign that his push is slowing down. He’s a unique act, but one with charisma oozing out of it that can do more to carry the show each week.
Are we sure Lexis King knows what he’s doing out there?
-So, it was Lexis King that attacked Trick Williams a few months back? Is that what the video was supposed to show? I mean, based on that video it was clear King is the perpetrator — or at least he should be. Any other outcome would just be silly at this point. Did King run after Williams to give him a high five or something? C’mon. The announcers played this up as if we almost knew, but didn’t, so as to keep drama between Williams and Carmelo Hayes. I get that, but they need to find another way.
-As for Lexis King? Yikes. Something is missing. Big time. Brian Pillman Jr. just hasn’t found the essence of that character and the result is a scary cartoon villain character rather than a credible, dangerous heel.
-We got five minutes of Ilja Dragunov vs. Nathan Frazer and it was tremendous. Someday, more of this would get a giants thumbs up from me.
-I’ll tell ya what, the Baron Corbin vignette this week may have been the best talking segment he’s ever had in WWE. Period. Corbin showed off his character, tenure, and jerkiness, but also seemed convinced of his message to Dragunov. Look, he’s a guy that Dragunov is going to roll over and beat, but this kind of strong material makes certainties like the outcome of that match fun to watch.
Obnoxious Arianna Grace
-Arianna Grace’s gimmick is obnoxious, but not in a good way. She’s playing a beauty pageant character and it’s over the top and way too put on. The gimmick also does not have a very strong connection to how she works in the ring. It’s not ready for TV, yet we see it over and over again each week.
-It was fun to see Johnny Gargano back in NXT, but more should have been made of the moment. He was just kind of back. Certainly more juice to squeeze there. Wes Lee becoming number one contender for the North American Championship was the only way to go. Lee and Dominik Mysterio should have a burner of a match at Deadline next weekend.