-Fun to see Chelsea Green in the NXT environment and she gave quite a bit to Sol Ruca — even in winning. Ruca looked really good out there and continues to gel as a talent in the ring. Nothing much came out of this from a storyline perspective, but it was a better than fine outing for both women.
Why so mean?
-Is it just me or was Trick Williams a little mean to Je’Von Evans this week? Trick was needlessly rude to Evans who was simply trying to circle the wagons against the big bad faction that has been terrorizing NXT for weeks. It took away some of the babyface charm that Williams naturally has. More on Williams and Evans a little later.
-Tony D’Angelo continuing to give power to Stacks is an interesting little story and one that I hope doesn’t end in the obvious spot of Stacks turning heel. This group is better than the sum of the parts and they need each other to play off of. A signature star hasn’t presented itself yet from this faction, so keep it together for as long as it’s entertaining — or until one does.
It’s what big stars do
-It was wonderful to see Stephanie Vaquer get a microphone in the middle of the ring after winning the NXT Women’s Championship last week. She’s the biggest star on the show and needs moments like this to prove that. Her english wasn’t perfect, but so what? What matters is whether or she can come across as a star, while in character, and while getting over storylines. She proved she can do that.
-Jaida Parker is a fine title challenger for Vaquer at this point. She’s going to lose, but it’s a good spot to be in for the up and comer. Jordynne Grace is a money match for Vaquer. With Guilia sidelined for a bit, that’s a WrestleMania weekend match that fans will want to see.
-Josh Briggs and Yoshiki Inamura continue to get a push as a tag team and I continue to not feel much of anything for them. They haven’t meshed together and still very much present as two singles stars together as a team. I don’t feel chemistry between the two either.
The Culling
-The Shawn Spears faction is being called The Culling now … yeah, anyways …. they got a win and I still can’t understand why this push is happening. Maybe so Ricky Saints can take the North American Championship off of Spears at Stand & Deliver? Let’s hope, but there is a lot right about NXT each week. This is not.
-Jacy Jayne vs. Karmen Petrovic happened. Not bad, not good, but it happened.
-Ricky Saints had a nice outing against Ridge Holland. There are certainly limitations with Holland, but the two men had a decent match for what was a feud on two weeks build. It’s surprising to see Saints continue to not get promo time in the ring. He came across as a big star when they let him talk in front of the crowd during his first two appearances and that real estate hasn’t been there for him since. He shines in that spot. It’s a strength that NXT should be looking to emphasize.
-The Dion Lennox mystery Retribution-like faction continues to flounder. The promo this week was a carbon copy of a Retribution promo and we know how that turned out. It’s mid-card at best and maybe not even that.
-Trick Williams vs. Eddy Thorpe in NXT Underground was surprisingly short. There’s no need to really go long in the Underground environment, but because this was the main event, it came out of nowhere. It’s not a bad thing, but worth pointing out.
Don’t get cute
-Williams calling out Oba Femi at the end of the show only to be joined by Je’Von Evans was worrisome. Evans is a tremendous talent for that brand, but Williams vs. Femi is the Stand & Deliver main event. That’s the biggest match you can do in the NXT men’s division and adding Evans doesn’t make it better.
What did you think of this week’s episode of NXT? Let us know in the comments!
Subscribe to the Brass Ring Media YouTube channel HERE and 1TS YouTube channel HERE.
Become a Brass Ring Media member HERE.