-Does anyone really care if Noam Dar was attacked backstage? I guess there some people that do, but c’mon. THIS is who we have as the first opponent and feud for Trick Williams as champion? Look, Trick is Trick and is over, but you’re only as good as your opponent. The goal here is for Trick to roll Dar and win his first feud as champion. I get that. Still, there are better and more credible guys to roll than Dar. Williams is playing down to Meta Four’s level, not other way around, and that’s not good.
The impressive Sol Snatcher
-Sol Ruca continues to improve in the ring and clearly has the backing of NXT brass as a star they’d like to see reach high levels. The Sol Snatcher is a nice finisher and she incorporated it well into the match with Izzy Dame this week to advance to the NXT Women’s North American Championship match at Battleground. Progress is what you want to see and it was there. She’ll need character help and the lack of character may keep her from winning this title right now. Long term, that’s probably for the best.
-Well, what do you know. There are consequences for ABDUCTING other wrestlers. Go figure. The abduction angle last week was silly and Ava probably should have called the police rather than fine The D’Angelo Family. Still, something is better than nothing, so the 20K worked as a punishment.
-OTM vs. Blade & Enofe was a battle of the forgotten once important tag teams. OTM got the win, so they are slightly less forgotten, I supposed. This was fine. Neither team has much upside at this point, but that reality can change quickly as talents continue to develop.
Stop picking on Ridge
-Oh, stop picking on Ridge Holland ya mean bullies!!! Holland is kind of friends with Chase University now? Kind of, though, they’re immediately on the outs with one another thanks to how Holland finished their match together. This story continues to baffle me. I feel bad for Holland, yes. Is that the goal? No. The idea here is for Holland to build up some sympathy with the audience, so they cheer him. It’s not going as planned. In reality, we’re forced to watch a character who reeks pathetic each week, thus shunning anyone from getting close to him. It’s a mess.
-Good to see Lash Legend get a spot in the Women’s North American Championship match at Battleground. The upside is huge there and Ivy Nile is essentially a main roster exclusive talent at this point. Smart move.
-Je’Von Evans shined again. The guy is ultra athletic and just needs the personality to come along with the in-ring abilities. Did you catch his interaction with Trick Williams? Look for the duo to tag against Meta Four in the very near future.
Femi vs. Lee? Here’s my money
-Wes Lee and Oba Femi carried a strong NXT Men’s North American Championship segment this week. Lee always brings passion and authenticity to his promos in a very babyface way, but this week that was countered with just as much authenticity and passion from Femi on the heel side. Femi put over Lee as a fighter and he’ll reap the benefits of that when they wrestle. Femi is a damn good champion and can talk as good as anyone on the NXT roster right now. Lee vs. Ivar vs. Josh Briggs for the right to face Femi gets an extra week of drama out of this story and then they can pivot right to Lee vs. Femi straight up.
-Lexis King, Lexis King, Lexis King. What are we going to do with you Lexis King. Gimmick? Still ice cold. HOWEVER. He’s been racking up some wins, so at least there’s an attempt being made to establish him as something more than an annoyance.
Same old Lola
-Rats! Lola Vice is back to the usual Lola Vice schtick. Did she not learn anything from her NXT Underground match? Vice was significantly more appealing and intriguing as a character when she dropped the dancing and focused on destroying her opponent. She’s limiting herself and leaning the wrong way with her gimmick.
-NXT has to do a better job of making sure everyone knows the rules of NXT Heritage Cup Championship matches. D’Angelo and Charlie Dempsey had a good match, but I was unsure on when the damn thing actually ended. Because of that, it made the nearfalls less dramatic and almost useless for the match. If I missed an explanation, so be it, but the point still stands. Regular updates are necessary until the rules are basic knowledge for viewers.
Gallus!
-Good to see Gallus back in NXT. They’re a strong team that gives the entire show added depth.
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