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With WWE NXT premiering on Tuesdays, we can finally put to rest the unnecessary bickering amongst wrestling fans. Good riddance to the so-called Wednesday Night wars.
Maybe now, everybody can focus on wrestling again instead of TV ratings. We definitely will. Welcome to Best and Worst of NXT - a new weekly feature every Tuesday, after episodes of the black-and-gold brand.
NXT's first episode in this new spot was stacked. A lot of things happened on this week's show. We saw a title change, storylines progress nicely, and former NXT stars return. There was a lot of good wrestling on display, making for a largely positive recap of the show. It did well to follow up on a strong two-night NXT TakeOver.
Here is a review of the positives and the negatives from the Tuesday premiere of WWE NXT.
#1 Best: KUSHIDA wins the NXT Cruiserweight Championship
One of the biggest moments on NXT's Tuesday Premiere saw the Cruiserweight Championship switch hands. This came as a huge surprise, as Santos Escobar had just defeated Jordan Devlin at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver to become the Undisputed King Of The Cruiserweights.
He came out on NXT and issued an open challenge for the belt. This ended up biting Escobar in the backside, as KUSHIDA answered the call and defeated him to become the new NXT Cruiserweight Champion. The match was great. Both superstars brought it in the ring and delivered the best match of the night.
The decision to put the belt on KUSHIDA was an inspired one as it gives him a purpose in NXT. He can be the face of the cruiserweight division.
Meanwhile, Santos Escobar can eventually move on. He was the Cruiserweight Champion for over ten months.
The Emperor of Lucha Libre has shown that he can hang with the heavyweights, which was evident during his match with Karrion Kross. He can challenge the new NXT Champion soon, but a more attractive option might be the North American Championship. Escobar could have a classic with Johnny Gargano at a future TakeOver.
#1 Worst: Franky Monet's NXT debut fails to live up to the hype
NXT had hyped up the debut of Franky Monet, formerly known as Taya Valkyrie, for its Tuesday premiere. While she did show up, it was not as exciting as expected.
Monet interrupted Raquel Gonzalez, who had pretty much turned babyface during her first promo as the NXT Women's Champion.
The debutant came out with her dog and congratulated Gonzalez. However, things didn't really go anywhere. It is usually a big deal to make your debut by interrupting the Champion, but Franky Monet doesn't seem to have a clear direction at the moment.
She is unlikely to be Gonzalez's first challenger, as Mercedes Martinez called out the NXT Women's Champion after ending her feud with the Robert Stone Brand. Hopefully, Monet finds her place on the black and gold brand. She has the potential to be a big star, either here or on the WWE main roster.
Putting Franky Monet in this segment may have been counterproductive, as she was completely overshadowed by what came next. Raquel Gonzalez's promo segment did not end there as was be interrupted once again.
#2 Best: A heartwarming NXT reunion
As we just pointed out, Franky Monet's NXT debut was underwhelming. But what happened next was a great moment. Rhea Ripley came out to meet Raquel Gonzalez, the woman who sent her packing from NXT. The new RAW Women's Champion shared a hug with her, as the two clinked their titles.
Then, SmackDown Women's Champion Bianca Belair came out. She joined the reunion as the limited NXT crowd went wild. A picture of the three, from a couple of years ago, then flashed up on the screen behind them. This was quite a heartwarming moment.
Gonzalez, Ripley, and Belair all won their titles during WrestleMania week, with the latter two doing so at the Show Of Shows. It represents a true shift in power for women's divisions all across the board.
Three new female stars were crowned during WrestleMania week, with all of them coming from (or still in) NXT.
Hopefully, they get the chance to show how good they are on their respective shows.
Raquel Gonzalez is in good hands on NXT, with history backing her to have a dominant reign as Champion. Meanwhile, Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair are big enough stars to succeed on RAW and SmackDown, respectively.
#2 Worst: Nobody interrupts new NXT Champion Karrion Kross
The other new Champion in NXT cut a promo at the top of the Tuesday premiere. Karrion Kross kicked off the show with a promo, fresh off his dominant victory over Finn Balor for the NXT Championship at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver. He and Scarlett looked as menacing as ever.
Kross cut a strong promo which was much better than his last one as NXT Champion as he didn't have a sling on his arm. However, while he did well here, one would have expected somebody to interrupt the promo and challenge him. That did not happen.
For the first segment of a show premiering on a new night, this felt slightly underwhelming.
Anyways, the future looks bright for Karrion Kross. He is set to embark on a dominant title reign on the black and gold brand, as he was likely to do prior to his injury at NXT TakeOver: XXX.
Who will step up to the challenge first? Hopefully, we'll find out by next week's episode. NXT should quickly establish a few challengers in place for Karrion Kross, so his reign can progress from a storytelling point of view.
#3 Best/Worst: Adam Cole vs. Kyle O'Reilly continues, while Roderick Strong quits NXT
At NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver, Adam Cole and Kyle O'Reilly put each other through hell during their 40-minute Unsanctioned Match. It was great but bordered on overkill. Hopefully, that isn't the case during their next match as it seems like the feud is continuing.
We saw exclusive backstage and security footage after their match on NXT, with O'Reilly collapsing at the back. Both superstars were taken to the hospital, with them being wheeled side by side. Cole caught wind of this and threw expletives at his heated rival.
While the idea of the feud continuing isn't the best, this footage did well to sell the brutality of O'Reilly and Cole's Unsanctioned Match.
Another interesting development also happened in the aftermath of the Undisputed Era bursting into flames. Roderick Strong handed in his resignation on NXT.
He seemed overly bothered by the entire situation, but could yet play a part in it. Strong quitting NXT could end up being a swerve before he returns and aligns himself with Adam Cole.
There is also a possibility that the former North American Champion might be done with the black-and-gold brand and is main roster-bound.
Either way, Kyle O'Reilly vs. Adam Cole has a new layer of intrigue following NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver. As long as their next match doesn't go past 40 minutes, it will be fine.
What did you think of NXT's Tuesday Premiere? Sound off in the comments below.
