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Following the questionable events from last night's episode of RAW, NXT put on yet another solid show.
Karrion Kross ventured out to RAW, in what was an unsuccessful outing for him. But would things get better for the NXT Champion back at the Capitol Wrestling Center?
The intrigue surrounding this helped the show in a way, while the black-and-gold brand continued to build its stories well. NXT has announced the next TakeOver event, which is set to take place one night after SummerSlam.
We have begun the build to it. This week has seemingly put some of it in motion, although a few problems are still visible. Some of them were in NXT's control, but many weren't.
Here are the main positives and negatives from this week's episode of WWE NXT. What did you think of the show? Let us know in the comments below.
#3 Best/Worst: Karrion Kross gets his heat back on NXT, but does he really?
The tension between Samoa Joe and Karrion Kross on NXT has been building superbly, with this week's developments further exciting the fans.
While Joe was waiting all night for the NXT Champion to arrive, he showed up at the end of the show. Kross attacked William Regal in the parking lot, which is by far the biggest sin a NXT Superstar can commit. This was a fantastic end to the episode, leaving us with a huge cliffhanger.
But there is one problem.
Karrion Kross made his RAW debut last night against Jeff Hardy. It was one thing to lose his impressive entrance and Scarlett as his manager, but the NXT Champion got pinned very quickly. This has only served to make the black and gold brand look pretty weak.
It is hard to separate Kross' actions on NXT from this embarrassing development on RAW. He now seems like a big fish in a tiny pond, which is far from the ideal case. So, while there still is intrigue over his angle with Samoa Joe, a lot of the excitement over a potential match has worn off since RAW.
Karrion Kross is no longer undefeated in WWE. This has ruined over a year of build and watered down the impact of his NXT Title loss, possibly at TakeOver 36 next month.
#2 Best: LA Knight garners big-time heel heat on NXT
The story between LA Knight and Cameron Grimes on NXT has grown more interesting every week. The Million Dollar Champion has earned supreme heel heat recently, especially when Grimes was made to be his butler.
Drake Maverick picked up a shock victory over Knight after an "inadvertent" distraction from NXT's resident hillbilly, but the dastardly heel got the last laugh. He attacked Maverick himself, before ordering Grimes to punch the former 205 Live general manager. He reluctantly did so.
The continued build towards the eventual blowoff between LA Knight and Cameron Grimes has been excellent so far, with the Million Dollar Champion likely to get his comeuppance soon.
#2 Worst: Xia Li suffers an injury during her NXT Women's Championship match
NXT may not be at fault, but the show suffered from this unfortunate incident. Xia Li challenged Raquel Gonzalez for the NXT Women's Championship in the main event of the show. The match started well enough and was hard-hitting, but Li seemed to legitimately injure her rib.
A wrong landing by Gonzalez from a modified Vader Bomb caused the supposed injury, which led straight into the finish after the referee stopped the match to check on her. This was a disappointing way to end a promising contest, even if there was no choice.
While the NXT Women's Champion retained her title, the bigger concern is Xia Li's status. We can only hope the injury she suffered is not too serious.
#1 Best: HitRow continues to impress
HitRow has become one of NXT's standout acts over the past few weeks. The group's act feels authentic, with each member playing their role well. Now, it seems like Isaiah "Swerve" Scott and his crew may be turning into babyfaces. They have started a feud with Legado del Fantasma.
The two factions had a battle of words, which HitRow won comfortably. Each member got time on the microphone, with Top Dolla being particularly impressive. The segment ended with HitRow surrounding Joaquin Wilde and Scott hitting him with a guitar. This was a great showcase of the group.
Further fireworks can be expected, especially with the eventual NXT North American Championship match between Santos Escobar and Isaiah "Swerve" Scott.
#1 Worst: Is NXT breaking up The Way?
While one faction in NXT continues to soar, one has encountered some internal problems. The Way might be in trouble.
Austin Theory's defeat to Kyle O'Reilly followed Johnny Gargano's failure to become NXT Champion, while Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell lost the NXT Women's Tag Team Championship recently. This string of losses led to them getting into an argument backstage.
The four of them were not at all on the same page, with Theory walking away from the group at the end of it. Hopefully, this does not lead to him breaking away as The Way has been one of the most entertaining acts on NXT all year. It would be a shame to see them broken up.
