-Joe Hendry didn’t reinvent the babyface championship victory promo or anything like that, but he hit all the right notes and looked believable as champion to start the show this week. Hendry was likable and appreciative of fans for believing in him. It was a promo full of tried and true babyface lines, but they all worked because Hendry is over as a babyface. Hopefully as champion, Hendry can show some added character depth. This will help the audience invest in him even more than they already are.
Keep an eye on this promo
-Jackson Drake has a helluva promo on him. Like Hendry, he didn’t reinvent heel promos either, but he got the heat he was looking for. Drake has a good look and oozes arrogance, which makes it easy to dislike him instantly.
-Blake Monroe vs. Jaida Parker was good while it lasted. The feud wasn’t ready for a definitive winner, so it made sense to do a non-finish in this one. The brawl between both to lead to the count out worked to get things where they needed to go in the book. So far, this is a nice non-title feud in the NXT women’s division. They haven’t had many of these over the years.
-Oh good. The WWE Speed Championship tournament continued this week. Yay. Eli Knight beat Josh Briggs and had some decent high flying to showcase. The stakes are still the WWE Speed Championship, which paints a big dark stain on anything that happens around it.
-Robert Stone’s first official full day on the job as NXT General Manager was chaotic. He played it well, but also different than the other GM’s around WWE would. After one week, there is already something more authentic to his performance in this role than Ava ever had.
Baby steps
-Small, but effective follow-up on the Kelani Jordan and Lola Vice feud. It didn’t need a lot, but Jordan targeting Vice’s injured hand in another attack from behind got strong heat. Two good weeks in a row for heel Kelani Jordan.
-Soooooo the NXT Tag Team Championship segment was a parade of bad. Each member of the arguing teams got to talk in the ring, but it came across as if all of them were in promo class rather than in a wrestling ring with high stakes. The promos were too scripty and lacked any real feeling.
-Tony D’Angelo hit DarkState like he said he would. The interesting part of the angle wasn’t the attack, it was the fan reaction to it. D’Angelo had momentum and you could hear it in the crowd.
-Ethan Page vs. Shiloh Hill is a match I want to see. A match between them could walk to the line of too comedic, but if they stay in their lanes, I expect it to be entertaining. Page can get pretty much anything over on the microphone these days. Hill should get all the benefits of working opposite that kind of talent.
Hendry vs. Saints
-Joe Hendry retained his NXT Championship against Jackson Drake. Did anyone really think he wouldn’t? Drake was great in the match and that work made it feel like Hendry truly overcame difficulties to keep his title. Outside of the match itself, this existed as a backdrop for the Hendry vs. Ricky Saints feud. That story got off to a predictable, but effective start thanks to Saints attacking Hendry. I don’t expect that match to headline on WrestleMania weekend for NXT. That said, it’s a strong TV feud that can chew up a lot of content hours.
-Vanity Project vs. Hank and Tank was really good. Vanity Project got the win in a heelish way, but hey, that’s the point. Big time upside for Vanity Project in NXT.
Barely hanging on
-Sol Ruca and Zaria are hanging on by a thread. Like a baby tooth just waiting to fall out. Sol Ruca won the tag team match main event for her team after a Sol Snatcher and is now the number one contender for the NXT Women’s Championship. Obviously, Zaria hated this turn of events. Yawn. The Ruca and Zaria stuff is a real bore at this point — even if the partnership is genuinely going to end soon. Neither woman is playing the part well enough and it makes every segment flatten out. With Ruca getting a title shot and Zaria angry about it, NXT has concocted a perfect full-on heel turn scenario for Zaria. Still predicting Zaria vs. Ruca at Stand and Deliver over WrestleMania weekend this April.
What did you think of this week’e episode of WWE NXT? Let us know in the comments!
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