This week's episode of NXT UK has two things that are kind of messed with by recent happenings on NXT US. Let's unpack this little issue.
Two unaligned NXTs
Let's start with that main event. Some weeks back, Trent Seven challenged NXT Cruiserweight Champion Jordan Devlin, and he tried to make the 205-lb. weight limit. Whether or not he actually did manage to cut down for this title shot is a different story, but just a day earlier, Devlin already appeared on this week's episode of NXT. This is after he announced his return last week.
Naturally, Seven lost his title shot, because how are you going to explain Seven winning with Devlin appearing in the US with his championship?
The second instance may be just as disruptive. NXT United Kingdom Champion WALTER finally reappeared on the show since beating A-Kid last January, issuing a challenge to anyone for his title. Rampage Brown answers the call, and it all looks like we're set for WALTER/Brown... eventually. We don't know when because also on the same episode of NXT this week, WALTER appears to complete Imperium and feud with Timothy Thatcher and Tommaso Ciampa.
Clearly, this entire situation is messy. My guess is that plans for NXT UK are laid down well in advance, while the creative direction of the live NXT show is a little more flexible or current. Of course, when the motherland calls, how do you not answer? But also, how do they allow the NXT UK plans to be messed up just for the sake of NXT's? (Don't answer that, I already know how.)
While the problem with Devlin will easily be solved come NXT Takeover: Stand and Deliver—either Escobar beats him and keeps the title back in the US, or Devlin wins and stays in the US because he finally made it—the issue with WALTER is a little more tricky. How long is WALTER going to stay in the US? How many episodes of NXT UK have already been taped? At this point, if they want WALTER to stay in the States, he's got to drop it to Rampage Brown sooner than later, right? When are they going to do that?
The current trajectory for NXT UK stars is to head to main NXT in the US and possibly make it to the main roster, but that's never been a problem before until now. I'm just appalled that they'd get sloppy enough to let it happen. I wouldn't assume that only people in the UK watch NXT UK, because that's insulting your audience's intelligence. Let's see how they book themselves out of this—or when WALTER is going to lose.
NXT UK 3/18/21 Grade: B+
Bits and pieces
- I still don't understand the decision to rename Ben Carter to Nathan Frazer. He cut a promo acknowledging the name change, but still no logic on why they really did it or why they chose such a generic name. That's a huge miss to me.
- Meiko Satomura going back to wrestling the others in the NXT UK women's division feels like a huge step backward—like this is what she should've been doing instead of being thrust into the women's title match so quickly.
*****
Romeo Moran (@roiswar) is the Editor-in-Chief of Smark Henry and one of the three hosts of the Wrestling-Wrestling Podcast. He gets by in this hard knock life through working in advertising. Smark Henry was his and Stan Sy's original vision of a watering hole for local wrestling fans. He roots for the undersized guys who hit hard, and he likes taking your wrestling questions over on his Curiouscat account.
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