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NXT has been off the charts lately, and they have delivered some great episodes even with their biggest stars missing from action. Last week, we got an outstanding show even though their premiere faction The Undisputed Era didn’t show up, and this week they did a great job even though Tommaso Ciampa, Finn Balor, Johnny Gargano, and Rhea Ripley were missing from the ring.
This week, two Steel Cage matches took place at Full Sail University to settle some grudge feuds, but they seem to have ignited the fire behind them even more.
Chelsea Green looked to continue her winning run with a match against Shotzi Blackheart, while Austin Theory continued to get some spotlight with a match that was made official just before the show.
In this article, we will look at the 6 things NXT got right on this week’s show.
#6 The Robert Stone Brand
Robert Stone has been turning up week after week to manage the red-hot Chelsea Green. Under the Robert Stone Brand, Green is trying to prove that she is the best in the business.
This week on NXT, Green faced off against Shotzi Blackheart to earn a spot in a match at TakeOver: Tampa.
Blackheart arrived in her adorable mini tank for the match, and the two women kicked off the match. The action was fast at first, but a series of miscommunications slowed down the pace and made things a little messy.
Blackheart made a great debut in NXT, and she has been among the top women on the brand ever since. After the action broke down, Green hit the Unprettier to pick up the victory and stand tall to close out the segment.
While the match wasn’t too great, it’s good to see something different going on in NXT. We haven’t had too many men manage the women recently, and Green is one woman who can really succeed in WWE. Having her in the forefront with Stone and picking up victories could do good to the Superstar and the Black and Gold brand.
Her confidence will help her go places even though she needs to finetune her in-ring abilities.
#5 The reaction
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Finn Balor came out last week to announce his plan of action after defeating Johnny Gargano and turning him heel after the match.
While Balor looked to play the first move on the chessboard once again, he was interrupted by Imperium who brought along a message from their leader and then attacked the former Universal Champion.
This week, Balor decided to keep things simple and address the attack by WALTER’s men in a pre-recorded segment. He spoke about how he has been the one to take the fight to other Superstars in NXT till now, but he’s glad that someone has decided to bring the fight to him. He ended the promo by letting WALTER know that a reaction for his actions is coming sooner than he thinks.
Balor is a world-class athlete who has taken on the biggest and baddest men in the wrestling world. Even though WALTER outmatches him in size and strength, we know that The Demon King will find a way to take him out somehow.
A rivalry between these two men for the NXT United Kingdom Championship will be epic, and it will help the NXT UK division gain a lot more followers.
Take a look at why Finn Balor vs. WALTER for the NXT UK Championships is best for business
#4 The fast-paced match
Before NXT last night, Austin Theory got himself into a match against Isaiah Scott after showing too much arrogance. Their exchange outside the arena led to a match no one was expecting, but everyone was looking forward to it.
Both men are highflyers and extremely quick in the ring, and this match was all about their pace and technical perfection. They didn’t slow down throughout the clash even though there were a few near falls that could have ended it all a bit too quickly.
Theory kept on fighting even though Swerve got most of the offense in the middle part of the match, but he wasn’t able to get him away.
Finally, Theory raked the eyes of his opponent and then hit his signature ATL to pick up the win. This was a good fun match that seems like the beginning of their feud and a possible heel turn for Theory. He seems like the perfect babyface, but his actions don’t back that up.
NXT needed a way to showcase both men and keep them busy for a while, and they could do so very well by staying in a rivalry with each other.
#3 The tag team turmoil
The Undisputed Era returned to action this week as Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish took on the team of Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan.
Both teams did a great job in the match, trading strikes and making every move look grander than it already was.
Burch and Lorcan seemed like true stars while to three-time former Tag Team Champions seemed to give the other team some time to build.
Lorcan had the control but Fish and O’Reilly teamed up to hit their finisher to score a hard-fought victory over their opponents.
Right after the match, the two heels cut a promo and asked Pete Dunne and Matt Riddle for a rematch for the Tag Team titles. The Champions came out to respond but they were attacked by The Grizzled Young Veterans.
NXT has been building its tag team strength incredibly well, and the change of Champions seems to be doing a lot for the brand. The Undisputed Era felt unbeatable in Championship matches, and now that the title is off them, the playing field seems much more leveled.
#2 The non-title feud
While the entire WWE Universe is glued to their screens for the Edge and Randy Orton rivalry, the NXT Universe is busy with Tegan Nox and Dakota Kai’s rivalry.
While both women are not yet legends like Edge and Orton, they sure have the potential to become legends later on in their careers.
The two women took the grudge match to the Steel Cage this week, and fans expected Raquel Gonzalez to play a role in the entire affair once again.
Nox and Kai started by throwing words at each other before they got down to action, and then there was no stopping them. The Girl with the Shiniest Wizard had a tough time gaining control in the middle part of the match, but there was no stopping her once she got better of the Captain of Team Kick.
Nox hit a chokeslam from the top rope to send Kai into the stage and then leaped off the cage to take Kai down with a crossbody.
After some impressive maneuvers, the two women tried to exit the cage but Gonzalez played her part by trapping Nox between the cage and the door as she tried to climb down while Kai escaped through the door.
This was an intense match with no titles involved which showed the entire WWE that you can build big feuds around mid-card Superstars with the right storylines and matches.
Nox felt like a true star in this one while Kai as a heel is perfection. Everything about this match was done well, especially the ending, and it seems like Nox will need to find a partner to neutralize the Gonzalez effect as these two women are expected to continue their rivalry for some time.
#1 The next contender
It’s not often that we see Superstars show up in their casual clothes for a fight to show just how personal things have gotten. Roderick Strong did just that, ditching his ring gear for the Steel Cage match against The Velveteen Dream.
The two men went after each other from the opening bell and there was no stopping either one. Marina Shafir soon arrived to hand her husband a Kendo Stick to use on the man who’s been taking shots at their family. Strong used it to great effect by hitting a modified backbreaker with it.
The action was traded between the two men until Strong stopped Dream from escaping the Steel Cage by hitting an Olympic Slam from the top of it. He was still unable to get the pin and put Dream away.
The rest of the Undisputed Era arrived to try and help their friend, but Dream was too focused on the clash. He hit Strong with two Dream Valley Drivers but was unable to end the match. Adam Cole made his way into the cage but Dream did well to keep the other men out.
Dream then shocked everyone by throwing Strong out of the cage, allowing him to win the match. He locked himself in the cage with the NXT Champion and showed the entire NXT Universe what he really wanted.
He beat down the Champion and even let Strong return from the top of the cage to beat him down as well. Championship fever ran high as Dream then clearly showed the NXT Universe that he would be coming for Cole’s NXT Championship.
This was the perfect match and segment to book Cole’s next feud as he was without any threats for a couple of weeks. Dream is young, energetic, and the future of NXT and WWE. He could very well be the man to dethrone Cole once and for all.
Teddy Long snaps when Swerve Strickland's race is brought up HERE
