-Kendal Grey didn’t flawlessly cut her show-opening, championship victory celebration promo this week, but that was kinda the point. Grey was likable. She admitted to some of her faults, but basically said that none of those faults matter because in the ring, she’s always the best. I really liked the premise of this promo. It set a tone around Grey, showcased what makes her different, but also presented a confident champion.
Appointment viewing
-Ummmmm … Nattie vs. Kendal Grey next week? Boom. Must-see. More on Nattie later.
-The Vanity Project got a victory this week and retained their tag titles. These guys are going to have incredible value to the content juggernaut that is the WWE main roster. They are developing into guys who can do anything that the main roster calls for on WWE shows.
-Mason Rook vs. Jackson Drake? Hell yeah. This match ruled and was the match of the night this week. Drake and Rook took advantage of their size difference inside the story of the match. Drake bumped his ass off for Rook and made him look really good. Drake heelishly got the win, but there is a long-term feud to be had between these guys if Shawn Michaels wants it.
-EK Prosper over Keanu Carver again??? This is bizarre. The match was fine, but you can’t have your cake and eat it too with Carver. The show reacts to him like a powerhouse, but the booking and the matches haven’t conveyed that perception in a while. Prosper showed some strong athleticism, but is still missing on character. Right now, Carver has the higher ceiling, which makes him doing these jobs all the more confusing.
A developmental faction
-Does Nattie have a faction building? I like the idea of a Nattie faction, but Karmen Petrovic, Nikkita Lyons, and Layla Diggs? That doesn’t jump off the page in terms of high potential star power. At the same time, NXT is a developmental brand this is a developmental show. Let’s see what they got.
-A good week for Shiloh Hill. They did a nice job using Tatum Paxley to help him showcase how he hit a new gear at the Great American Bash against Tristan Angels. He did hit a different level in that match and put some context around why this week.
-It was a night of strong promos for the top champions in NXT. Kendal Grey started the show with one and Tony D’Angelo did his thing with the microphone later on. Like Grey, D’Angelo was pretty darn good. He was emotional and intense, but also relatable. The minute D’Angelo said he was done with Naraku was the minute you knew that he was getting attacked by that very man. It was a vicious attack and clearly these two are going to have a championship rematch soon.
-A good main event between Kelani Jordan and Tatum Paxley. Paxley remains one of the best characters on the show, but it seems she may be main roster bound sooner than later. It’s the losses? Why do you saddle her with those — like this one to Jordan — unless there are other plans for her? This Jordan win lines her up for a title match against Grey sooner than later.
An ordinary debut
-Welcome Nikki Blackheart. Blackheart attacked Paxley and she looked menacing, but it wasn’t a crisp debut. Blackheart appeared to slip or buckle while getting Paxley in the Torture Rack. This won’t derail her, but it turned what could have been an impressive debut and made it more ordinary. Blackheart has had some wonderful matches on the independents over the years. She’s a strong addition to the NXT Women’s Division.
What did you think of this week’s episode of WWE NXT? Let us know in the comments!
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