I’m Real
The good thing about developmental is no one expects the wrestlers to be perfect. The bad thing about developmental is sometimes the wrestlers act like they should be. Kendal Grey put an end to the latter by fully embracing the former.
Kendal, the new Women’s NXT champ, is a work in progress. What makes that revelatory is that she admitted as much and embraced it.
Kendal spent her first Tuesday as champ in the ring on a microphone sounding
like someone still finding their footing. She can do it all in the ring but it’s clear the theatrical part of this thing of ours isn’t fully in her grasp just yet. The first half of her promo contained a lot of general platitudes about support from the fans, hard work, family, etc. It was the white meat babyface special, if you will. She didn’t kiss any babies but I’m sure she would’ve if given the chance.
Then the second half came and that’s where I felt like Kendal came out to play. She told everyone she’s not always going to know what to say. She talked about wiping off the makeup NXT puts on her before she steps out. She talked about not looking like the prototypical NXT woman; she is herself. That authenticity goes a long way with any wrestling audience, but especially one as rabid as the NXT faithful. NXT wrestlers perform in intimate settings where the fans can practically touch them. The Performance Center, even during the worst of times, feels like a secret club with a handshake only a few know, much less understand how to execute. It’s a merciless environment at times, but it’s overall very supportive. Kendal stripping her facade during her championship celebration guaranteed plenty of that support.
During yet another NXT reset, maybe it’s time to have someone like that atop of the card. The brand can feel a bit too contrived at times, something which Kendal presents as the exact opposite. Bringing Wren Sinclair into the ring after and not only presenting her with a cake, but letting them both eat it only backed up her point about not being like her locker mates.
Kendal was the right choice at the right time. NXT needs someone fans genuinely care about. The best way to connect with anyone at anytime is to just be yourself. If Kendal continues being real like that, she’ll take this brand into new territory.
B-Sides
- Claire and I wondered several things about the opening tag match. Why does El Hijo Dr. Wagner Jr. have four names while his brother only has one? Where did Dr. Wagner Jr. earn his doctorate? Can one inherit a doctorate? My dad is a mechanic, so does that make me one by blood?
- Those philosophical questions aside, Galeno & Dr. Wagner Jr. didn’t defeat Vanity Project for the tag titles, but they looked good in defeat. This was never about them defeating the champs, just giving them a bigger spotlight and enticing people to watch them on AAA. They dominated enough of the match to hopefully earn several eyeballs.
- Jackson Drake defeated Mason Rook but this is far from over. I say that because, as Vic Joseph noted, it took four people to defeat one Mason. Secondly, after taking the L, Mason obliterated Brad Baylor & Ricky Smokes. All that drama aside, Jackson and Mason wrestled a pretty dope match. They work well together and I don’t mind seeing them do this again.
- El Hijo del Vikingo vs. EK Prosper didn’t happen. Why? Keanu Carver dropped him like so many bad habits. I still disagree with Keanu’s belief that causing enough chaos will somehow earn him a championship match. Especially since he keeps making enemies and pissing off the boss. A frustrated Stone put Keanu in a match with EK, which seemed like a reward at the time. And, in truth, it still is. Yes, he loss. Again. And yes, Tank helped cause that defeat as he got some payback for what Keanu did to Hank. But putting Keanu in positions where a win only gets him closer to what he wants while he’s on his worst behavior isn’t a punishment for said behavior. What I liked about Tank’s attack is it showed a serious side to the man. He also went in with no fear. Keanu is an intimidating cat but Tank rushed him through the LED board like it was nothing.
- Just when I thought they were done with Jaida Parker, they pull her back in. This is how you rebuild this woman. Jaida wrestled one of Nattie’s surrogates this week in Karmen Petrovic. Karmen, for her part, talked a lot of trash about Jaida the past couple weeks. And during their match, Karmen got plenty of help from Nattie and Nikkita Lyons. But Layla Diggs hesitated. At Bash, Layla was the lone member of the Dungeon Masters ™ who showed sympathy for Jaida. She did the same here only now it potentially cost her teammate a victory. She probably picked the worst time to go against the group too, because this win looked like it gave Jaida back some of her confidence. As she told Nattie post match, one down, she’s on her ass. In general, they need to let Jaida talk more. Doesn’t have to be anything that cold but just in general.
- Naraku, despite not being able to beat a man with one eye, isn’t done with Tony D’Angelo. The man with one eye isn’t king; he’s lunchmeat, apparently. Before the attack that really should’ve happened on screen but instead happened behind the curtain before the main event, Tony cut an impassioned promo that humanized him. One thing I like about this iteration of the Don is he’s less cartoonish. Don’t get me wrong, I really dug the original incarnation, but there’s a chance that veered into early-mid ’90s WWF territory in all the ways one doesn’t want to go. But him talking about the fear or signing a medical waiver, or how he misses so many things now that he’s only got one eye worked for me. I just wish they planned out the segment better. Naraku beat him down but not seeing how it started undercut a bit of it for me.
- Speaking of undercutting, Kali Armstrong attacked Kendal during the main event…right before the camera cut to a Picture in Picture commercial break. NXT has to plan these things better where something exciting happens before the break. Certainly not so that it happens in that little box on my television while the bigger box airs law firm commercials. This happened on the same show where Kam Hendrix FaceTimed Booker T during Mason’s match to talk trash about Mason, which took focus off of the match and seemingly didn’t phase Mason at all. Again, I get that they experiment but someone should say “nah” every once in a while.
- As for the main event itself, Kelani Jordan finally put her money where her mouth is. She and Tatum Paxley put on an impressive main event match with psychology, physicality, and logic. It was a well-earned victory for the story too, since Kelani is picking a bone with everyone as she feels overlooked. As for Tatum, well…
- Nikki Blackheart (name change pending) attacked Tatum before the credits rolled. Her showing up in WWE wasn’t exactly a secret, and the crowd reacted as such. But I’m curious to hear why she attacked Tatum.
This was a fine show wrestling wise. As a television show though, it still left a lot to be desired. I’m excited to see the new champ get her run.
What say you, Cageisders?
