It's not quite often that I find myself not enjoying NXT—especially since moving to the USA Network. The black-and-gold brand has always wowed me with its larger-than-life matchups and showcase of extraordinary talent. I'm not saying that this week sucked and was devoid of enjoyment; it's just that it somehow felt more like a reintroduction to the brand rather than a continuation of the blowout programming that I'm used to.
The matches of the night involved mostly up-and-comers and, as I previously said, a reintroduction of sorts. We had matches and vignettes that involved Kacy Catanzaro against Mercedes Martinez and Angel Garza versus Isaiah "Swerve" Scott, just to name a couple. Meanwhile, Jordan Devlin made his first appearance as the NXT Cruiserweight Champion since winning the title at Worlds Collide.
Speaking of Worlds Collide (and Royal Rumble by extension), after minimal mention of both events from last week's show, this felt like the after-PPV fallout of the show. With several angles acknowledged during this week, this felt more like the proper follow-up than the previous episode.
If I have to talk about two things I liked during this episode, then here goes. First, it was the main event that involved the Undisputed ERA squaring off against the team of the Broserweights with Tommaso Ciampa. You can never go wrong with the ERA and this main event once again proved why they should be the focus of NXT. On a positive note, Velveteen Dream's return now adds direction for Roderick Strong as he became a floater once he lost the NXT North American Championship.
I'm guessing we'll be seeing Dream face off against Strong at NXT Takeover: Portland, which will be quite exciting since we missed his presence. Plus, Dream's return may have come at a good time since I feel that the brand needs to bring in its top stars heading into WrestleMania season.
The other angle I enjoyed was Charlotte Flair's return to NXT. Per the rumors, she will still be challenging Rhea Ripley for the NXT Women's Championship so this is interesting. They're doing the slow build for the rivalry without blatantly announcing that it will happen. I suppose this builds interest, but I hope it doesn't devolve into excessive swerves and turns just to arrive at the big stage like last year. This is a big enough match that just needs to go back to basics so NXT can also be established as a big brand worthy of that WrestleMania treatment.
All in all, if you want to see Charlotte and Dream's return to the brand, then feel free to watch this week. Otherwise, it's a week that you can opt to miss since it's more of a refresher for the brand while also hyping up the upcoming NXT Takeover: Portland.
Grade: B-
Match to Watch: Broserweights & Tommaso Ciampa vs. The Undisputed ERA
If I have to talk about two things I liked during this episode, then here goes. First, it was the main event that involved the Undisputed ERA squaring off against the team of the Broserweights with Tommaso Ciampa. You can never go wrong with the ERA and this main event once again proved why they should be the focus of NXT. On a positive note, Velveteen Dream's return now adds direction for Roderick Strong as he became a floater once he lost the NXT North American Championship.
I'm guessing we'll be seeing Dream face off against Strong at NXT Takeover: Portland, which will be quite exciting since we missed his presence. Plus, Dream's return may have come at a good time since I feel that the brand needs to bring in its top stars heading into WrestleMania season.
The other angle I enjoyed was Charlotte Flair's return to NXT. Per the rumors, she will still be challenging Rhea Ripley for the NXT Women's Championship so this is interesting. They're doing the slow build for the rivalry without blatantly announcing that it will happen. I suppose this builds interest, but I hope it doesn't devolve into excessive swerves and turns just to arrive at the big stage like last year. This is a big enough match that just needs to go back to basics so NXT can also be established as a big brand worthy of that WrestleMania treatment.
All in all, if you want to see Charlotte and Dream's return to the brand, then feel free to watch this week. Otherwise, it's a week that you can opt to miss since it's more of a refresher for the brand while also hyping up the upcoming NXT Takeover: Portland.
Grade: B-
Match to Watch: Broserweights & Tommaso Ciampa vs. The Undisputed ERA
Not-So-Full Sails:
- I'm loving Pete Dunne's facial expressions and reactions to Matt Riddle's antics.
- I really dislike hearing or saying Isaiah "Swerve" Scott. Can we just stick with Swerve Scott or Swerve?
- Congratulations! We're getting Keith Lee vs. Dominik Dijakovic part 86382820 *insert sarcasm*. Honestly, I enjoy Lee's work but they're taking fight forever too seriously.
- They should just send Killian Dain to NXT UK if they're going to treat him like this.
Are you also tired of Dominik Dijakovic vs. Keith Lee? What did you think about Velveteen Dream's return? Are The Undisputed ERA's championship belts in danger at Takeover: Portland? Hit us up in the comments section below.
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Miguel “The Migz” Llado is your master NXT reviewer at the Smark Henry offices. A lover of music, wrestling, videogames, and food, he lives his life tweeting his mind off (@the_migz) and ‘gramming random food items and locations (@tha_migz) while he pursues his musical career courtesy of his band The Mox (TheMoxPinoyGarageRock). You can also add him on PSN (MigzLlado) to show your WWE2K19 (or any PS4) skills. When not being a smark, he lives his life as an awesome architect, musician extraordinaire and armchair fantasy booker.
Photos and videos from WWE
*****
Miguel “The Migz” Llado is your master NXT reviewer at the Smark Henry offices. A lover of music, wrestling, videogames, and food, he lives his life tweeting his mind off (@the_migz) and ‘gramming random food items and locations (@tha_migz) while he pursues his musical career courtesy of his band The Mox (TheMoxPinoyGarageRock). You can also add him on PSN (MigzLlado) to show your WWE2K19 (or any PS4) skills. When not being a smark, he lives his life as an awesome architect, musician extraordinaire and armchair fantasy booker.
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