-If Oba Femi as the new NXT Champion means he won’t be moved up to the main roster soon, that’s disappointing. If he’s champion, but will be working double duty, more power to him. The Femi show opening promo this week on NXT was wonderful. Femi can command attention with the way he speaks and the cadence he uses. It’s mesmerizing and there is a lot of confidence behind his words. He’s perfect for NXT, but WWE can certainly make money with him on Raw or Smackdown at this point.
Uh oh, Ricky
-Je’Von Evans decided he wanted his title shot against Femi this week instead of at New Year’s Evil. I question that choice just days out from a major tag match for him at Saturday Night’s Main Event, but so be it! Evans cut a good promo too, but one that had a different energy than Femi.
-The loser of this opening promo segment was Ricky Saints. Saints lost the NXT Championship to Femi at NXT Deadline this past weekend and already felt like the third wheel between Evans and Femi. Saints has to find a way to establish himself more efficiently when working with the big stars of the brand.
-Glad to see Tatum Paxley get some promo time. She needed to tell the audience what her mission was after losing to Izzi Dame at Deadline. She did that and she did it with her dark and twisted personality. Really good stuff and the NXT audience will invest in seeing her pick off The Culling one by one.
From The Takedown on SI
-Jordynne Grace vs. Kelani Jordan was fine. Nothing special, but a fine match that advanced the story between the two women. Grace lost control and it cost her. It feels like Grace is headed to the main roster after one more clean job to Jordan.
What gives with Monroe?
-The Blake Monroe presentation continues to be high level WWE material, but the programs she has continue to be beneath her. Monroe and Thea Hail? Look, Monroe is a talent than can deliver on a big scale and with a lot at stake. The more she leans into the presentation and only the presentation, the harder it’s going to be to establish her as a true threat when they really need to. It’s not over, but Kelani Jordan in a deeper blood feud than Monroe is a missed opportunity.
-Shiloh Hill looked good in his debut, but didn’t get much time to show much either. The gimmick has been strong so far, but it needs to regularly translate in the ring.
That’s a heel promo
-Hell yeah, Ethan Page. If you wondered what a heel promo looked like, Page cut it. That’s it. He covered a lot of ground. Great stuff. Tony D’Angelo attacking him (a heel), after attacking Je’Von Evans (a babyface), means they are going for a “you pick” reaction for him. The old D’Angelo gimmick suffered because at times fans didn’t know what to think about him or how to react. So far in his new gimmick, that still appears to be an issue.
-Sol Ruca got a strong win ahead of her showdown with Bayley at Saturday Night’s Main Event this weekend. The story of that segment was Jacy Jayne after the match. Her promo, like Page’s earlier in the night, did a fantastic job of selling her as a heel and positioning Kendal Grey as an underdog babyface. It was all Jayne. Really well done.
-Let’s say it again … third week in a row? Get on with the Zaria and Sol Ruca feud. Please. I beg on behalf of NXT fans everywhere.
Chemistry on display
-Oba Femi vs. Je’Von Evans in the main event was an excellent match. Crisp, but exciting and it took full advantage of Femi being uber strong and Evans being uber quick. They meshed the styles well. Femi and Evans have good chemistry too. Not the last time we’ve seen these two square off for the NXT Championship. At this point it feels like Evans needs to beat Femi to win that title for the first time.
What did you think of this week’s episode of NXT? Let us know in the comments!
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