-Myles Borne is a near-perfect Men’s North American Champion. He’s the exact level of talent that should be carrying that belt and has the potential to carve out a title run that makes him as a star. The match with Dion Lennox was solid and foreshadowed a DarkState split. That faction never could really get cooking.
Go figure?
-The alignment between Blake Monroe and Vanity Project has been effective so far and I didn’t think it would be. The Vanity Project guys fawning over Monroe and playing subservient to her is the right way for them to act because Monroe has a much bigger upside as a star. A good touch so far.
-Why does Shiloh Hill have to be so goofy? He’s got a natural charisma about him, but it won’t catch on if it keeps manifesting in over the top comedy ways on a weekly basis.
-Well, we know Joe Hendry is heading to Raw next week, so it made perfect sense for him to do the job for Keanu Carter this week. And what a job he did. Hendry took a beating from Carver and made his aggressiveness come across as very dangerous. The win was one thing, but the sell job from Hendry elevated Carter. Money.
-Lizzy Rain? Hmmm. It’s not that this gimmick can’t work. A freaking deadman gimmick was pulled off somehow. The thing is, is this mob boss Tony D’Angelo? If it is, it probably doesn’t get past NXT. If Rain can transform into whatever this character is going to be, it has a chance just like anything else.
-Ok, Lexis King is the new WWE Speed Champion. I can’t think of a better pairing …
Bye bye Blake
-The Tatum Paxley vs. Blake Monroe Casket Match was a suitable blowoff match to this feud. Seems like Monroe could be heading up to the main roster. As for Paxley, she continues to be a fun reason to watch NXT on a weekly basis.
-Izzi Dame is a fine first challenger for Lola Vice. Vice’s promo bordered on too long this week, but she landed the plane. Dame still does not appear to have a feel for the crowd that she’s in front of. Vice is a little like that too, but not as bad. Both read their scripts, but don’t allow for time to engage back with the audience that’s reacting to them.
-The fact that Shiloh Hill is feuding with Ricky Saints makes me think that Saints may be main roster bound. Starks got some heat for beating Hill up backstage. All signs point to Hill getting revenge in the form of a huge win next week on the show.
A shocking NXT end for Sol Ruca
-Damn. A really strong main event and fitting final chapter to the Sol Ruca vs. Zaria feud. That program wasn’t always perfect, but for this match, they found a deeper layer of intensity and drama. The action was fast-paced and worthy of the Last Woman Standing stipulation. The finish? Holy crap. Sol Ruca smacked the back of her head on one of the two tables that she was supposed to crash through. She missed her mark by a smidge, fell into only one table, which left her head open to take the brunt of the second table. It looked nasty and hopefully she’s ok.
What did you think of this week’s episode of NXT? Let us know in the comments!
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