-Myles Borne chose a good time to cut the best promo of his career. There isn’t a long list of Borne promos to compare this one too, but it captured his authenticity, likability, and competitiveness effectively.
Does NXT understand their own characters?
-The impromptu title rematch between Borne and Ethan Page was fun, but I just don’t understand the strategy behind having Borne cheat to win. I know he’s “fighting fire with fire,” but you sacrifice the goodwill Borne has with the fans thanks to being authentic and likable when he tries to be someone he isn’t and uses a shoe to help him retain the championship. They are neutering a potentially strong babyface by having him win matches the way he has the last two weeks.
-A strong promo segment between Jaida Parker and Blake Monroe this week. They were due to have this encounter and both women delivered. They created a tone of genuine hatred and disdain that will shine when they lock up again on Saturday night.
-Wren Sinclair and Nikkita Lyons wrestled one another in a Speed match this week. The match was totally fine, but the main takeaway was that both women need to find a gimmick somehow. They are disconnected from their characters right now and the audience isn’t invested in either.
For real … does NXT understand their own characters?
-Pairing up Kelani Jordan and Shayna Baszler is silly. Jordan is the heel! At this point, Baszler is only going to get positive, babyface reactions from the NXT audience. Jordan has began to click as a heel character and this “partnership” is going to undo some of that momentum. Maybe Jordan attacks Baszler or something like that, but it comes across as more of a situation where they wanted Baszler to be involved, so they jammed a square peg into a round hole. All that said, Lola Vice vs. Kelani Jordan in an NXT Underground Match is a nice closing chapter to their rivalry.
-It kinda felt like we’ve seen that Izzi Dame and Tatum Paxley backstage vignette on multiple occasions already. The only difference was there was a dollhouse involved this time. Paxley has cooled off a bit since she became a champion. That has stunted the audience investment in this feud. A good match between the two at Vengeance Day will help. If Paxley can find the sweet spot of an underdog babyface during that match, she’s likable enough to pull the crowd to her side in a major way.
-Vanity Project won the NXT Tag Team Championships last week. This week? They lose a six-man tag. Jaxson Drake actually took the loss, so there is at least some consideration being paid to Vanity Project as champions. Not enough, though. Vanity Project has major upside in NXT as a strong tag team. They need the book to be along for the ride with them.
Lukewarm
-Well, Tony D’Angelo and Dion Lennox jumped through all the hoops during their promo, but it wasn’t particularly engaging. D’Angelo isn’t an over enough babyface and Lennox isn’t an over enough heel for this to work the way NXT wants. Right now, it’s lukewarm guy vs. lukewarm guy and the result is? You guessed it. Lukewarm.
-I hope we aren’t angling toward a Zaria vs. Sol Ruca vs. Jacy Jayne triple threat match for the NXT Women’s Championship at Stand and Deliver. Ruca and Zaria have spent over a year telling their story together and the first big payoff on that story is going to be a multi-person match? That’s a missed opportunity. Yes, the Zaria turn took too long to get to, but the audience is into the story between those friends. Tell that and have the winner move on to face Jayne at some point. Smashing it all together into one match tosses some cold water on not only Zaria and Ruca, but Jayne too.
Uh oh
-Hmmm, so Ricky Starks mocks Joe Hendry with his own version of an in-ring concert and the show ends with Hendry standing tall — and with the Vengeance Day PLE on Saturday? I smell a title change.
-As for the concert itself? *crickets* *crickets* *crickets*
What did you think of this week’s episode of WWE NXT? Let us know in the comments!
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