Got Me Waiting
Remember last week when I hoped NXT would do something
interesting with Tony D’Angelo’s most recent jail stint? Well, consider those hopes dashed.
Ava bailed him out because NXT “needs him.” Yup, NXT needs the guy who was off television for months, came back with violence on his mind, ruined main events, and never said a word to anyone about why. At least until this week: He wanted to show Ava and NXT that he’s not the same guy. But he’ll let Ava know next week whether or not he’s “in or out” as it relates to whatever Ava needs him for. She didn’t specify and he didn’t ask.
I really liked last week’s show. I loved its energy. Dug its focus and purpose. But this week felt like someone throwing spaghetti against a wall while buying time until a much bigger show next week. That’s not unusual for NXT or wrestling in general, but that’s often when the show is weakest. They speed through character development, rush storylines, and the show lacks flow.
Let’s look at Tony again and compare him to Joe Hendry. Joe was supposed to start the show but it looked like Vanity Project attacked him. We got word early that he was really hurt and may not compete next week. That’s huge news. Ava begrudgingly gave Jackson Drake Joe’s spot in the ladder match BUT stipulated that Joe keeps his spot too if he’s cleared. That sounds like a hell of cliffhanger, right? Will one of NXT’s biggest good guys make it to the championship ladder match? If he does, will he be anywhere close to 100 precent? Will he set his sights on Jackson? Imagine the surprise and the reaction from the audience next week if Joe limps out for the ladder match around the halfway mark and we get word that he was cleared at the eleventh hour.
Alas, that’s not what happened. Rather than save that reveal for next week, Joe showed up in the last seconds of this week’s last segment. He wasn’t at full strength but he got physical with Ricky Saints before Keanu Carver got physical with him. And they flashed a graphic on the screen confirming Mr. Hendry is in the ladder match.
So that we get instant confirmation on but we have to wait for Tony D’Angelo’s answer to Ava’s nebulous question? I’m betting Joe Hendry’s status for a championship match is a bigger hook than whatever Tony says. Especially when he had enough time to say it this week.
This was one of those episodes that just didn’t work for me. And as I said, it’s disappointing coming off last week’s very strong showing. I miss the days when NXT consistently carried WWE.
B-Sides
- I really like OTM. There’s a different vibe these cats bring in the ring with every action. I think they embody chaos, which was perfect for this NXT Tag Team Championship match that devolved into something very chaotic. It was a brawl from the start, which fits OTM and DarkState rather perfectly. The problem came in the ending. I liked all the tag teams vying for that title showing up and throwing OTM off their game. But they clearly botched Saquon Shugars going for the cheat win. The ref counted to three but he never got his feet on the ropes. Vic Joseph called it as if DarkState stole the win, so that was clearly the aim. Maybe there was just too much going on because we got Chase U, The Culling, Hank & Tank, and anyone else in the tag division showed up. Energetic way to start the show but needed to be a bit cleaner for the full effect.
- Speaking of full effect, it’s been a minute since Nikkita Lyons graced the NXT scenes. She looked fantastic and even moved a little better than I’m used to as she faced Jaida Parker. Why were these two fighting? Because Nikkita volunteered herself as tribute for Blake Monroe. That’s a weird look for Nikkita, who initially claimed to be NXT’s alpha lioness. But hey, that’s how they chose to put her back on TV so here we are. This was a fine match on a night filled with fine matches. It was a means to an end, which…really didn’t do much. Blake showed up on the Tron, told Jaida she’ll see her soon. Which, okay next week, but it’s not a major movement forward.
- The wrestling legacy kids are forming a band. Lexis King, Arianna Grace, Stax, and possibly Charlie Dempsey look like Legacy 2.0. This is a hell of a 180 from Lexis, who came into NXT disavowing his dad. The reason his name is Lexis King and not Brian Pillman Jr. is because he “never knew his dad” and wanted to honor his stepfather. “My way, my life” echoes over his theme for a reason. Now, I’m not saying I dislike this direction, but I’d like some work on how we got there. There’s potentially a dope story there of how this heir to wrestling royalty decided to reclaim his family tree rather than uproot it. Turns out he’s just mad at these “NIL” kids for stepping into wrestling and getting all these handouts. Which is exactly how Fatal Influence came about. Repetition aside, Lexis got his vengeance on Tavion Heights this week. I just wish it meant more.
- I think I can correctly predict Zaruca is done. Can I do that this time? Is it safe? The issue, again, is Sol Ruca’s reliability. Sol went Swayze, which wasn’t a big deal considering Zaria didn’t have a match scheduled for the night. I suppose the larger issue was just having her there to have her back in case Fatal Influence tried something? But Zaria got in her feelings when Thea Hail tried comforting her, and thus a match was born. Now, this match also featured Izzi Dame on commentary as she, Thea, and Lola Vice have a match next week. So it was only a matter of time before Tatum Paxley showed up to ruin Izzi’s good time. And that’s exactly what happened. Here’s where the logic doesn’t work for me though: Tatum beat Izzi into the ring during the match when Zaria had the advantage. They battled right past Zaria without touching her or Thea. Yet Zaria took her eyes off the prize and took an L because of it. And she’ll no doubt blame that on Sol. But this wasn’t a situation where someone attacked her during the match and she suffered because she didn’t have backup; this was simply her getting distracted with something that had nothing to do with her. She took her mind off her money and her money off her mind. And we know she’s going to blame this on Sol! Girl…this is you. More specifically, this is the territory not quite getting the math right on this one to make it make sense.
- Keanu Carver is a beast. And he’s from my hometown, so I’ll always give him props now. He dominated Andre Chase to earn his spot in the ladder match. But seriously, was there ever any doubt? If I have one bone to pick with the qualifiers this week is how they weren’t on equal footing at all. Dion Lennox vs. Myles Borne? Okay that sounds reasonable and even Steven. And it was a solid bout that felt grueling and clearly took a toll on both men while incorporating a larger story with Ethan Page tempting Myles to join the dark side. But Keanu vs. Mr. Chase? No disrespect at all to Chase U’s Dean but there’s no suspense there at all. Watching Keanu beat on a guy who has very little credibility in the ring at this point isn’t my idea of fun television, nor does it truly do anything for Keanu other than show he can beat up a teacher. He’s living the dream of every elementary school student.
I said it up top, but this just didn’t work for me. Far too many logic gaps and not enough satisfying in-ring action to make up for the haphazard storytelling.
What say you, Cagesiders?
