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With five days until NXT TakeOver: In Your House, the black and gold brand delivered an excellent go-home show. This was one of the best episodes of NXT all year.
We saw the final build up to all of the matches at the upcoming TakeOver. High stakes were added to one match, while another featured two Championships.
From an explosive five-way to a 'Winners Takes All' match, the card has shaped up quite nicely.
However, the latest edition of the black and gold brand did feature some developments that weren't related to Sunday's event. Poppy appeared on NXT and contributed to the storytelling, without really getting in "the way."
Anyway, here are the main positives and negatives of this week's go-home episode of WWE NXT. What did you think of the show? Sound off in the comments below.
#1 Best: The final build to the NXT Championship match delivers
The final few minutes of NXT this week gave us a preview of the impending mayhem in the main event of TakeOver: In Your House. NXT Champion Karrion Kross called out all four of his challengers. They came out one by one, with each of them cutting solid promos. The best may have come from Adam Cole.
The longest-reigning NXT Champion in history appeared on the screen and spoke about how he verbally destroyed Kross last week, before going after the rest of the field. Cole did not even acknowledge Kyle O'Reilly by name, simply saying that he didn't deserve to be in the match. It was a nice touch from the Panama City Playboy.
Anyway, chaos ensued following this "promo train" of sorts, as the four competitors present managed to get rid of security and duked it out. Karrion Kross looked immense here, laying out men left and right.
However, just as it seemed like the NXT Champion would stand tall five days before his big title defense, Adam Cole blindsided him with a superkick before finishing him off with the Last Shot. The Panama City Playboy stood tall to end the brawl, as well as the episode.
This segment did a tremendous job in promoting the Fatal 5-Way main event of NXT TakeOver: In Your House, even if the build to the match seemed minimal. It did its job well and has gotten the fans excited for it.
All five men are set to deliver an unforgettable contest this Sunday, which could be among the greatest in NXT history.
#1 Worst: Another disqualification finish on NXT
Ember Moon will challenge Raquel Gonzalez for the NXT Women's Championship at NXT TakeOver: In Your House. This match will likely be among the highlights of the event, with its tremendous potential. However, the build has not been the best.
The match came about after Gonzalez decimated Shotzi Blackheart after losing a tag team match two weeks ago. On the last edition of NXT, we saw Moon go rogue and call the NXT Women's Champion out, following the chaos of Adam Cole's return. She faced Dakota Kai in an attempt to build momentum heading into Sunday.
While she stood tall at the end of the segment, Ember Moon's disqualification win did not do much for her. She should have defeated Kai cleanly, which would have given her some credible and tangible momentum. The post-match events could still have remained the same.
The biggest positive from this ordeal was the way Raquel Gonzalez sold the Eclipse, which really put over the move. But it should have been used this week to beat Dakota Kai as well.
We have seen an increase in these non-finishes on NXT, which is a growing concern. The same thing happened when Kai took on Mercedes Martinez over a month ago, while last week's triple threat No.1 Contender's Match did not have a winner.
#2 Best: Io Shirai returns to NXT alongside Poppy
Poppy appeared on this week's episode of NXT, primarily to promote and release her official NXT soundtrack. However, she played a bigger role than that. The pop singer shared a hug with Dexter Lumis backstage, which broke Indi's heart. Well, Candice LeRae used this as fuel to call her out.
The NXT Women's Tag Team Champion challenged Poppy to a fight of sorts, but she was one step ahead. The musician brought out Io Shirai, who made her return to the black and gold brand, having spent some time away after losing the NXT Women's Championship to Raquel Gonzalez.
The Genius of the Sky proceeded to get rid of LeRae before celebrating with Poppy. Shirai is a big fan of hers, as evidenced by their interactions on NXT in the past. This was a great way for her to return.
Poppy's appearance on NXT was a success, as is her partnership with the brand. Meanwhile, it seems like Io Shirai isn't going anywhere, amidst possible interest from the main roster.
Her presence only makes NXT's women's division stronger, with a rematch against Gonzalez looking likely in a few months time.
#2 Worst: No Franky Monet on NXT
For a show that almost always finds a spot for every prominent Superstar on each episode, Franky Monet's absence from NXT was pretty surprising. She had featured every week following NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver, interacting with the rest of the women's division.
Monet had an impressive debut showing on NXT two weeks ago, while she was reading glowing reviews about it on last week's episode. La Wera Loca could have had another backstage segment this week, or possibly a vignette.
Another possibility was an interaction with Io Shirai when she returned backstage from her appearance alongside Poppy. It would have happened just before her brief staredown with Raquel Gonzalez.
It is understandable that NXT would rather wait until after TakeOver: In Your House to continue Franky Monet's push. The black and gold brand did promote matches for beyond TakeOver, so she definitely should have appeared on our screens.
In fact, Monet could have been used to promote the women's matches at TakeOver, with her putting over Raquel Gonzalez, Ember Moon, Mercedes Martinez, and Xia Li.
#3 Best/Worst: The Million Dollar Championship returns on NXT
This Sunday's TakeOver match between Cameron Grimes and LA Knight got a major boost on NXT.
The two flaunted their mansions and lavish lifestyles in separate vignettes before arriving at the Capitol Wrestling Center for a "priceless" announcement from 'The Million Dollar Man' Ted DiBiase. The WWE Hall of Famer did not disappoint as he raised the stakes at NXT TakeOver: In Your House.
Grimes and Knight will now face off in a Ladder Match for the returning Million Dollar Championship. The title has not been seen since the WWE Hall of Famer's son, Ted Dibiase Jr., held it for six months in 2010.
Before that, it was retired in 1995 after being around the waist of The Ringmaster, who would go on to become 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin. How NXT will use the Million Dollar Title remains to be seen.
Adding the belt to either Cameron Grimes or LA Knight's gimmicks could provide some golden segments. They are among the greatest character-driven Superstars in NXT. But beyond the fun segments, will the Million Dollar Championship be defended regularly?
NXT already has a bunch of titles, and another addition could possibly cause confusion. This one might merely be a gimmick for whoever carries forward Ted DiBiase's "million-dollar legacy," without any threat of losing it.
Either way, NXT must quickly define the long-term role of the Million Dollar Title after the novelty of either Grimes or Knight holding it wears off.
