3 Things that made NXT great this week (9th October 2019)

NXT followed up last week's great episode with yet another stellar show this time around. Sometimes, the NXT product doesn't get as much credit from fans because they are consistently good. But fans can't be blamed as they have come to expect good matches and logical booking from the black and gold brand every single week.

This week, NXT Cruiserweight Champion Drew Gulak defended his title against The Man of the Hour, Lio Rush, who recently made his return to WWE. Kushida finally got his hands on Imperium's leader, WALTER, in singles competition. Another big question in the minds of the NXT Universe was regarding the fallout from the returns of Tommaso Ciampa and Finn Balor.

NXT delivered some top performances this week, and we will have a look at some of the things that made the episode a good one.

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#3 Drew Gulak and Lio Rush's great opener

Last week, Lio Rush returned after a hiatus and won a No.1 contender's match for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship. This week, Drew Gulak defended his title against Lio Rush to open the show.

Rush began the match with his high octane offense and stunned Gulak, but it was a matter of time before the latter took control. The Philadelphia Stretcher cut Rush's momentum and used a variety of submissions to ground him. However, The Man of the Hour was too good to let his opponent run away with the match and turned things around soon. He finally hit the Final Hour to win the match and the title.

Post-match, Gulak handed the title over to Rush in a moment of respect. This is a great comeback story for Rush who had to take a sabbatical from WWE after having issues backstage several months ago. His WWE future was in question but he managed to turn things around. In a few months, he went from being Bobby Lashley's manager to becoming Cruiserweight Champion.

With Rush as champion, it is almost a guarantee to have a good match every time he wrestles. Since the NXT roster is stacked, we could see exciting feuds for the Cruiserweight Title. Guys like Isaiah Scott, Jordan Myles, and even an established wrestler like Johnny Gargano can feud with and put on stellar matches against Lio Rush.

#2 Isaiah "Swerve" Scott impresses

NXT North American Champion Roderick Strong faced Isaiah "Swerve" Scott in singles action this week. The former Killshot hadn't gotten many opportunities until now, and this was probably the biggest match in his short WWE career.

Roderick Strong is one of the best wrestlers of his generation, and therefore, putting him against Scott was a smart choice. It gave fans a good idea of what Scott was capable of inside the ring.

Stylistically speaking, he is very agile, athletic, and as intense as it gets. His offense is quite unorthodox as well, and that only plays to his advantage since it is difficult to stand out in today's roster. Of course, this match wasn't as simple as Superstar vs. Superstar. Strong's companions in the Undisputed Era weren't far away from his side; indeed, their interference worked as Scott got distracted and lost the match.

Win or lose, Scott showed fans a glimpse of his ability and this could ultimately propel him into the Cruiserweight championship picture soon. With more time and opportunities, Scott could easily become a cornerstone of the show and relied upon for great matches. Therefore, fans can expect to see him more often in the future.

#1 WALTER and Kushida steal the show

A few weeks ago, Kushida was interrupted by Imperium after his victory. Ever since then, Kushida has had a few run-ins with the faction and eventually faced them in tag team action. A victory in that match set up a showdown with NXT UK Champion WALTER on this week's episode. Both men were undefeated going into the match, and it made fans interested in what could potentially transpire. WALTER works well against athletic smaller wrestlers, and Kushida fits that mold.

The match certainly wasn't one-sided as Kushida used his speed to his advantage and relied on counters to bring the big man down. When Kushida survived high impact moves, it seemed that the Japanese sensation might upend The Ring General when all was said and done. But it wasn't meant to be as WALTER hit a big lariat to end the match and Kushida's undefeated run.

Kushida is yet another cruiserweight wrestler who is shining in the spotlight on NXT. This is in stark contrast to Raw and SmackDown, where smaller wrestlers like Buddy Murphy and Ali are struggling to find any momentum. It is one of many reasons why NXT is the superior brand.