-Good opener between Lyra Valkyria and Blair Davenport. Thought the match could have gone a little longer due the championship stakes on the line, but they did fine with what they had. Valkyria seems to have her in-ring chops, but still needs some character development as to who she actually is out there.
-The Carlito surprise was a good one for this show and given the circumstances around Dragon Lee being unable to compete. Action packed and Wilde being launched into the air out of the ring for a super splash is must-see.
NXT Championship bait and switch
-Dragunov announced as unable to compete during the show this week felt too bait and switchy for my liking — especially after the angle last week with the contract signing. Now, Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes got some needed storyline development with continued drama between them thanks to Hayes putting Williams’ title shot on the line for him. That said, this is a big show, and being upfront about a title match not happening was the way to go.
-Yikes. Not a great outing from Roxanne Perez and Arianna Grace and even sillier finish. So, Perez wins within the confines of the match, but then loses because of happenings AFTER the match? In what world? Not good. Shawn Michaels is desperate to give Perez an edge and this seems to be how he’s going about it. Here’s the problem, it’s not working. She comes across as inauthentic, something she never does as a straight up babyface.
-Interesting to see Tiffany Stratton do the job for Fallon Henley. This was Henley’s biggest win to date in her career. I don’t view this as an elevation of Henley, but more likely a simple avenue to content with Stratton as Henley’s ranch hand.
Breakker and Corbin? Really?
-Goodness. Here is what we don’t need in 2024: a tag team that consists of Bron Breakker and Baron Corbin. Plus, they’ve already feuded, so there isn’t even a turn to look forward to.
-Ridge Holland’s interview this week was very interesting. They went deep on his history, so it’s clear they will give this time to breathe. I still question the idea of using the notion of injuring guys in the ring as the means to develop a babyface character. First of all, isn’t that the point? The goal is to injure your opponent, so I’m not sure how far they can go on that road. Second of all, I’m not sure Holland has the acting chops to pull something like this off. We’re early in this, but the warning signs of trouble are there.
-Oba Femi was impressive an has been impressive since debuting on NXT. Winning the Breakout Tournament was the only call to make. He has a high ceiling due to his athleticism. The question will be whether he starts off as a heel or babyface. If it’s me, he’s a heel all the way.
Chase U jumps the shark
-So, I’ve been a big fan of the Chase University stuff thus far, but the story may have jumped the shark. Jacy Jayne taking over as the sole decision maker instead of Chase defeats the purpose of the story at all and makes you wonder whether or not they really have a true finish in mind. Chase needs to defeat a heel to get control of his school back, but the pieces aren’t on the board for that to play out at this point.
-A fun little main event between Williams and Grayson Waller. Certainly a last second switch. The Kevin Owens appearance was a surprise too, but overall, a bit of a fizzle to the show to end on the note it did. What would have been wrong with putting Valkyria vs. Davenport in the main event? That would’ve made more sense.