-Based on how the opening tag team match in the women’s division went this week, it’s looking like Kendal Grey is going to have a major role at the Stand and Deliver PLE in a little over a week. Grey won the match for her team and then called out Jacy Jayne for an NXT Women’s Championship match. She has a number one contender match against Lola Vice next week, but it’s Grey’s to lose. She’s more organically over than Vice and better in the ring.
Swing and miss
-Well, sorry NXT, but the big Zaria and Sol Ruca verbal showdown was bad. The performances themselves were fine, but the entire thing was misguided and misread from a storyline perspective. Remember all those weeks where I talked about Ruca coming across as unlikable and mean to Zaria? The chickens came home to roost this week. Nobody bought Ruca’s sadness or side of the story when it came to Zaria. Why? Because everything Zaria said was true. Ruca DID get all the opportunity. Zaria WAS in the background. Ruca didn’t seem to appreciate her friend. She said she did, but her actions proved all evidence to the contrary. They have a problem. The WWE Performance Center NXT audience is the nicest crowd that they’ll have. If that crowd is rallying against the segment and story, you can bet other arenas — like the one for Stand and Deliver in St. Louis — will too. Crowds reacting positively to Zaria takes away all the drama in the match. What should be a unifying win for Ruca on a big stage is going to be watered down because she’s not over enough as a babyface. Ruca can’t play a heel role, so a double turn is off the table. Best case scenario here would be for these two to beat the sad memories out of the other and then shake hands at the end of the match.
-Sidebar: In watching the Ruca and Zaria segment this week, it became abundantly clear that the people writing for WWE don’t know what a good guy really is. The writing of Ruca was whiny. It was privileged. No wonder why the heels get cheered so often.
Progress for Kelani Jordan
-A nice win for Kelani Jordan over Thea Hail. The match was short, but that was the point. Jordan is growing as a heel and that is the highest of high compliments because she’s such a natural babyface. Jordan vs. Jaida Parker is up next and should be a fine match regardless of whether or not it ends up on Stand and Deliver or regular television.
-Shiloh Hill and Tatum Paxley have a fun chemistry together on-screen. The Hill character remains intriguing. It’s unclear exactly what he’s going for, but I find myself watching him intently. Hill began his gimmick as a dark web guy, but kind of dropped that upon debuting. He brought it up again this week and the gimmick served as a plot point in how Paxley ended up finding Blank Monroe. It fit this one very specific storyline this week and worked, but is a bit complex overall. Not sure how it translates on a week to week basis for the show. It doesn’t seem like the NXT powers at be know either.
He’s back
-And the Johnny Gargano redemption arc continues. This was a great call. Using the NXT grounds that Gargano owned as a means to get him on a winning track worked beautifully within the story. Gargano vs. Borne at Stand and Deliver is a potential match of the night candidate.
-You know me. I’m a fan of the El Grande Americano bit. It’s great, so why the hell not. BUT. Does it have to be so ill-defined? Babyfaces on NXT and heels on Raw. Babyfaces in AAA. Like, c’mon already …
-Tatum Paxley threatening Blake Monroe through the hotel door was very Shining-like. So, a little hokey in that regard, but the Paxley promo to Monroe was really good. It likely won’t be remembered because of the environment, but Paxley showed herself as a confident and determined babyface. Paxley vs. Monroe is in the lead for best feud on NXT television right now.
Weak
-Annnnnnnnnd we’re there. The dreaded fatal four-way main event NXT Championship at Stand and Deliver is on. Joe Hendry vs. Ethan Page vs. Ricky Saints vs. Tony D’Angelo. This, like most fatal four-way matches was born out of not having good enough challengers ready for the babyface champion. Saints has cooled way off, they’ve been there and done that with Page vs. Hendry, and it makes no sense to put a budding babyface Tony D’Angelo against Hendry in a top main event. What’s left is this watered down pseudo main event for the top prize. The match will be fine, but it falls short of expectations that come with Stand and Deliver. On the biggest NXT show of the year, it needs to be the top heel vs. top babyface for the title. They don’t have the pieces on the board the right way to make that happen.
What did you think of this week’s episode of WWE NXT? Let us know in the comments!
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