-I’m not breaking any news by saying that Carmelo Hayes is the star of NXT. He is. That’s the bottom line. It’s manifesting in different ways than just being the guy the show is built around, though. Hayes is making Ilja Dragunov a better babyface. Early on in Dragunov’s run as NXT Champion, he had energy and intensity, but nowhere to put it and nothing to focus it on. Hayes has been that focus and it makes the Dragunov gimmick click better to have someone as good as Hayes to play off of. More on Hayes a little later, but the opening promo segment very much highlighted his role on the show to me.
A better week for Kelani Jordan
-Granted, it’s a low bar to clear, but Kelani Jordan had her best NXT match to date this week against Kiana James. She lost and still has to work through her matches feeling like stage combat instead of a real fight, but progress is progress. She was better in that regard this week. As for James, the gimmick is very one note and because of that she really can only have the same type of feud over and over and over against different opponents. She needs to find some depth.
-It’s strange seeing The Good Brothers in NXT. I guess in some ways it’s always jarring seeing main roster talent down there, but it stands out more with them because it always feels like they are going through the motions out there. Whether it’s NXT or WrestleMania, Gallows and Anderson saunter out with the same tone of not caring. Just like everywhere else they’ve landed in WWE, it’s going to be hard to make the NXT audience care when that is the attitude around their work.
-Oba Femi has “huge star” written all over him. He didn’t have a match this week, but he certainly had a presence that was felt in backstage vignettes. Femi crossing paths with Ilja Dragunov wasn’t an accident either.
Why whine, Roxanne?
-More whiny Roxanne Perez this week. I want to know who the heck is buying this story. If you’re reading this and it’s you, let me know why. Perez is a ready-to-go babyface. Messing around with her in the way that they are has made her unlikable. Not good when that’s a signature part of her personality that connects with the crowd.
-Yeah, the Thea Hail babyface turn is on. I guess? She’s always been a babyface, but a darker one. It’s about time for the full turn back to good. Hail and Jacy Jayne were both effective in their roles this week. Clear babyface and clear heel lines were defined. Good stuff.
-So, it’s pandemonium in the NXT tag team division. Was that what we were supposed to get out of the in-ring promo segment this week? The Wolf Dogs are fine as champions, but the party will end soon due to Bron Breakker being a Smackdown guy now. The schtick is getting a little old between Breakker and Baron Corbin already and it’s better to end it while it’s hot than while it’s freezing over. Chase U has a title shot next week and if it’s me, I’m pulling the trigger on them as champs, so the Chase U story can be fully complete once Thea Hail turns on and beats Jacy Jayne.
Then what?
-Dijak got a win. That hardly ever happens, so pop some damn champagne. He’s got a big Asylum Match against Joe Gacy next week, so why not give him a jolt of momentum. As for Gacy, he’s going to have this match with Dijak, but then what. “Then what.” That’s the story of Gacy’s NXT run to this point.
-The Lyra Valkyria & Tatum Paxley vs. Kabuki Warriors tag team title match that was setup for next week at Roadblock on NXT has me worried. Kabuki Warriors aren’t losing this match. Valkyria isn’t either, which leaves Paxley available to take the fall. This could likely jumpstart a Paxley vs. Valkyria feud, but that isn’t a good enough women’s title match for NXT’s Stand & Deliver show over WrestleMania weekend — the next major event for the promotion. If this is a chapter in that eventual feud, fine, but it can’t be the match that lights the fuse on Valkyria’s next major PLE match. Paxley just isn’t good enough to be in that spot yet.
-Shawn Spears is back in NXT. Ok! Moving right along …
-Man, Lexis King can’t even get wins over Von Wagner???? Woof. His push and performances continue to show nothing of substance.
-Jaida Parker had a really nice week. She had a good little match with Gigi Dolin, but more importantly, showed off some heel character traits that will work well for her down the road. Parker had an attitude and it helped give the match an avenue for the audience to invest on behalf of Dolin against her. Well done.
Rejoice!
-Noam Dar is no longer the Heritage Cup Champion. Rejoice! I haven’t gotten the Dar push and maybe it’s finally over. Charlie Dempsey is a stronger choice as Heritage Cup Champion. For the Cup to work as a title wrestlers want to have, it needs to be about great matches. Dar just can’t deliver those. Dempsey is a guy that should give the Heritage Cup a personality and some distinct meaning.
-In the main event contract signing between Ilja Dragunov and Carmelo Hayes, it was nice to see “The Don” Tony D’Angelo finally flex his power to get him something truly important. Hayes was the star of the segment, but the D’Angelo “Mob Boss” character was greatly enhanced during it because of his flex on Ava Raine and both Hayes and Dragunov. It elevated D’Angelo to a new level and now he’s out of the tag team scene and into the to upper part of the card. The act needed credibility and he got it when he weaseled his way into a potential title shot. I haven’t always been a fan of D’Angelo, but this was a strong step in the right direction for the character to have a chance at working.