The biggest success story for WWE in the past year has been the rise and rise of NXT. It came so far ahead from where it had begun. From the noise around Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins to the feud between Sami Zayn and Antonio Cesaro, what really got the ball rolling was the advent of the ‘Big 4’ in the women’s division and the year-long feud between Adrian Neville and Sami Zayn.
Then came Hideo Itami. Then came Finn Balor, Then came Kevin Owens. It has truly taken over. But last week and a few such episodes showcased what NXT can be without many of these MVPs.
This week was a bit like that, but it’s still NXT. It’s an hour long and it still has some better writing involved than the main roster
Here are the 5 points to note from this week-
1.A Win at NXT
Zack Ryder and Emma are two performers who deserved better on the main roster than they were ever given. Ryder got over on his own accord with his Youtube show and Emma has all the talent to be a firm contender for the Divas title.
However, their NXT booking was a whole lot different from how they have been used in the main roster. In NXT, they win.
Heel Emma is gaining quite a lot of impetus. Zack Ryder, on the other hand, won a tag match teaming up with Mojo Rawley.
2.The Case of Blue Pants
Blue Pants is not a resident babyface in NXT since she is not really in a steady contract with the company. Yet, she remains one of the most popular performers to walk down that ramp. She has been the go- to performer for other female performers to gain heat. Be it Sasha Banks, Carmella, Dana Brooke or Emma.
It’ll be great to see her actually get more time in the realm of things at NXT. She’s got the training and the personality that can make a lasting impression.
3.Speaking of babyfaces..
Is Tyler Breeze a babyface? Or does he have nothing much to do, creatively?
Tyler Breeze faced Bull Dempsey, a character who is just not getting over and defeated him.Last week he faced another heel, Adam Rose. So, what is the deal with Breeze? Being in developmental for some time now, Breeze is one of the noteworthy guys but he’s not as over as Balor, Zayn, Owens, Bayley, Banks, Charlotte and the likes.
It’ll be interesting to see a babyface turn, at this point.
4.Lynch returns
Here was Becky Lynch in her first match after her much acclaimed, remarkable match against Sasha Banks at Takeover: Unstoppable. She faced an opponent who was not there just to get squashed, she definitely got to make a mark. Her name is Jessie McKay and the women's division in NXT looks promising after the Big 4 head the main roster.
Lynch won and this may be her lead up to another match in the near future. And the kind of noise that accompanied her last match, it won’t be surprising if she actually wins the title next time.
5.And it happens
Samoa Joe vs Kevin Owens has been booked. Not for the title but we’ll get to see it anyway next week. Owens sat ringside to witness Joe make his debut, which wasn’t all that great. It was just a showcase for Jow to establish himself as a force to be reckoned with, which he did.
Given that it’s a non-title match, Joe has the chance to win it but what will be the point of booking Owens to lose after his victory against Cena?
There can be another interesting scenario. If Owens loses to Cena at MITB on Sunday and to Joe on Wednesday, it will be quite a tense week for the NXT Champion.
