-Oba Femi is one of the best parts of NXT right now. His matches have a special intensity to them and he’s a unique character that’s fresh in WWE. No surprise to see him waste Lexis King in the opener this week.
What is love?
-The slow burn turn is on for Jacy Jayne, as she’s already frustrated with Thea Hail’s juvenile attempts to secure a boyfriend in one Riley Osbourne. The thing this, EVERYONE is frustrated with Hail’s attempts at love. It’s so contrived, not cute, and obnoxious. So, we hear you Jacy. That said, Jayne is going to be the heel in this feud with Hail, so they have to write something else into this story that puts fans firmly on the side of Hail.
-The Wolf Dogs were really fun celebrating their tag team title win this week. They exude a certain star power that others on the roster don’t, which makes them stand out. How long will this pairing last? That’s the question. With Bron Breakker signed to Smackdown now, it likely won’t last much longer.
-I don’t know what the hell is going on with Roxanne Perez these days. The edge she’s working to develop comes across as extremely unlikable, which isn’t great as she tries to be a top tier babyface on the show. Her match with Wren Sinclair was fine — good even, but Perez has to start defining herself one way or another. It’s simply been too muddy for too long.
Wait … what???
-”Catch clause.” LOL. Only in wrestling can a made up rule make such an impact. This was preposterous.
-Briggs vs. Jensen was better than it had a right to be. Briggs obviously got the victory, which leaves Jensen just kind of out there, but they told a good story in the match and commentary was on point in reminding the audience about the personal history the two have together. If I was a betting man, I’d guess we see another between these two very soon.
-Yep, a straight jacket wearing Joe Gacy is terrifying. With that out there, Dijak gets to JAIL his opponents??? C’mon. Look, its one thing to do a produced vignette to tell a story or introduce a character. Asking the audience to believe that someone as meaningless as Dijak is the rule of law and jails people backstage is something else entirely. Much like the catch clause from earlier in the show, this was also preposterous.
Carmelo Hayes setting up big Trick return
-Another week and another really good heel promo from Carmelo Hayes. They are playing the waiting game on bringing back Trick Williams, but Hayes has done such a good job in framing the story and himself as a heel, the Trick return is going to flourish and be memorable whenever they do it.
-Since Jacy Jayne is on the way to having a relatively important singles feud with Thea Hail in the women’s division, it’s smart to get her some little victories like the one thing week against Arianna Grace. Nothing to the match, but fine for what it was.
-A good tag team number one contender match between Chase U and the team of Nathan Frazer & Axiom. Good action, but the babyface vs. babyface matchup hurt both teams’ ability to drum up a crowd response. Chase U vs. Wolf Dogs will be appointment viewing.
The Good Brothers
-Gallows & Anderson in NXT? Why the heck not. When these two want to work, they can work and have the ability to freshen up the tag team scene in NXT. The question will be just how motivated they are to do anything notable. Time will tell, but night one worked in terms of framing them as a big deal and with a vendetta to settle in NXT.
-Lash Legend may have had her best television match ever against Kelani Jordan this week. Legend tossed Jordan around like it was nothing and showed off her strength and ability to dominate. She’s still very green, but this was a good look into the potential that WWE clearly sees in her. As for Jordan, there’s just something missing at the moment. She’s athletic, but has not been able to translate that athleticism into believable offense in a match.
Get well soon
-Very sorry to see Shotzi go down with the knee injury. Seeing it, you instantly knew something was wrong. They tried to pivot into another title match with Legend vs. Lyra Valkyria, but they just couldn’t get the audience back after the injury. An unfortunate way to end an all over the place episode of NXT.