-A very solid opening triple threat match between Je’Von Evans, Ashante The Adonis, and WWE Evolve star Sean Legacy. Evans can go and if you watch Evolve, you know that Legacy can also. The surprise was Adonis. He kept up nicely with the other two men and contributed to the match when it was his time to. Legacy getting the win tells you how WWE feels about that guy. He won’t be on Evolve much longer.
Put Saints vs. Page on Battleground
-The Ricky Saints rivalry with Ethan Page hit a boiling point this week with their brawl and then ensuing backstage segment with Ava. Saints vs. Page is on, but it’s on for TV? This is a PPV match.
-Speaking of Ava, she needs to find a better tone of voice when talking to the stars she runs as GM. She has the authority tone down well, but whether it’s Saints and Page like it was this week or Roxanne Perez and other women in the women’s division, she comes across as if she’s scolding them too much and you don’t want your stars taking a backseat to GM talent like that. It’s a fine line because she’s the authority, but there is absolutely more range for her to find in this regard in an effort to strike a better balance.
-The final hype this week for Jordynne Grace vs. Stephanie Vaquer at Battleground on Sunday was very well done. It was important for Grace to let the audience know that she is on the same level as Vaquer and has the same travels and story. Vaquer was equally as effective in her sit-down interview. She talked about her journey, but also framed the championship in a powerful way.
How about a wrestling promo
-The concert and rap show from Joe Hendry and Trick Williams was beyond silly. Can’t they just cut a wrestling promo? Neither was better at this than they are at that.
-With Hendry standing tall this week after a quick little brawl with Williams, you gotta think there is a chance Trick wins that TNA World Championship. On the surface this should be a non-starter of an idea, but if Hendry is heading to WWE soon, why not drop the belt to Trick and setup the future TNA face of the company to beat him. Looking at you Mike Santana.
-Shawn Spears gets a win. Holy shit what’s happening? Eh, it was all just to build up a six-man tag he’s involved in at the PLE. Surely he’s losing that one right? Right????!???
-Another week and another totally cringeworthy locker room encounter between Kelani Jordan, Sol Ruca, and Zaria. The main event match they had was good. This was not and it never is. Look, I joke about this quite a bit, but in reality it matters. All three women will be on the main roster at some point and if they want to do damage up there, they have to get their talking to a better spot.
Chase U heels
-Uh oh. Chase University lost in under four minutes to OTM in their first match back since the “school” reopened. What do we make of that? Well, smells like a heel Chase U is on the horizon. Andre Chase looked mighty frustrated after the loss and with a new look and new “students,” that a reasonable direction for the group to go at this point.
-Man, both Oba Femi and Myles Bourne were excellent in their final face-off before their NXT Championship match at Battleground on Sunday. This encounter had a giant sense of authenticity to it and while it isn’t great to have to choose between cheering for Bourne or Femi, they made the title and each of their stories seem very important. Excellent work.
-Lola Vice vs. Fallon Henley was better than expected. Can Henley and Jacy Jayne just break up already?
Get a leader
-DarkState needs a true leader at the front of it. The talent they have now are background players. Without one, they just don’t have the star power to be treated as a top faction on the show.
What did you think of this week’s episode of WWE NXT? Let us know in the comments!
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