By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
NXT 2.0 Hits
Grayson Waller spotlighted: The locker room shunning Waller for attacking Johnny Gargano at the end of last week’s show was a terrific way to showcase Waller as a top heel. Waller is a good talker with great charisma. NXT creative seemed to go back and forth on his direction, but they’ve clearly settled in on making him a high level heel.
NXT Cruiserweight Champion Roderick Strong vs. Bron Breakker in a non-title match: The cruiserweight championship is worthless, but that statement was true before Breakker beat the cruiserweight championship. Breakker continues to stand out as a can’t miss future star.
Cameron Grimes vs. Duke Hudson in a No-Holds Barred Match: A good show opening match that topped their NXT WarGames match. It was also good to see that Hudson shaved his head, meaning NXT made good on their hair vs. hair stipulation from WarGames. Here’s hoping that the creative forces ditch the poker gimmick and position Hudson as an intellectual heel.
Cora Jade vs. Dakota Kai: There were some clunky moments, but it was more good than bad. Jade continues to stand out as a potential NXT breakout star. I can’t say that I’m excited about Kai and Raquel Gonzalez resuming their feud. Here’s hoping that it’s a blowoff match that will lead to one or both heading to the main roster.
Ivy Nile vs. Amari Miller: Another good spotlight win for Nile. I wish NXT creative would take a similar approach. They should still be destroying opponents rather than having competitive matches and taking any losses.
Harland vs. Guru Raj: The advertising for NXT made this out to be the biggest thing on the show. While it didn’t really feel that way, the all out squash match was exactly what it needed to be.
NXT 2.0 Misses
Tony D’Angelo vs. Andre Chase: The match was fine. Who were the fans supposed to root for in this battle between heels? The fans have shown that they want to cheer for D’Angelo, but he still seems to be a heel. It came off like his rival Pete Dunne was positioned as the heel in their feud.
James Drake and Zack Gibson vs. Kushida and Ikemen Jiro: Drake and Gibson feel cold as a heel team, and the Jacket Time gimmick does nothing for me. There was plenty of talent in the match and yet this felt like channel changing material.
Boa vs. Edris Enofe: I’m higher on Enofe than Boa at this point, so it was disappointing to see him lose so quickly. That said, The Great Boa look is an improvement.
Be the first to comment