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It doesn't matter whether or not WWE RAW or SmackDown Live deliver every single week. WWE NXT puts on a show on a weekly basis that makes us proud to be fans of sports entertainment. This week was no different. There was hardly a dull moment through the show.
There's a three-man booth once again with Nigel McGuinness making his return. There's a new backstage interviewer in Sarah Schreiber, who's come to NXT recently. Cathy Kelley has replaced Christy St. Cloud as the primary backstage interviewer.
It's a new NXT but one thing remains the same as always. The brand never cuts corners when it comes to bringing fans the best in sports entertainment every week.
Here are 5 points that I found interesting about this week's episode.
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#5 One apiece
The feud between Lacey Evans and Kairi Sane has only grown more personal in the weeks past. Do remember that Sane already has a big win over the 'Lady of NXT'. The two women met in a rematch this week and really took one another to the limit. It really shows the strength of the division that performers of this calibre exist in the non-title picture.
Very few performers can sell a punch as their big finishing move. Lacey Evans is certainly a very proud member of this exclusive club. She threw a Woman's Right as Sane came flying in with an elbow to pick up a big win.
As it stands now, both women are tied at one win apiece and it stands to reason that there will be a rubber match to determine who wins the feud. One can only assume that the winner of the feud will get a shot at the NXT Women's Championship down the line someday.
#4 Teammates turn on each other!
Last week, both Velveteen Dream and Ricochet found common ground and a reason to team up with one other. They had both been wronged by the freak of NXT, Lars Sullivan. This week, the two tremendous NXT performers united to take on Sullivan in a handicap match. On paper, they had the match in the bag because of this alliance.
However, this match, made in 'smart mark' heaven, would not last. Because of a mistimed tag, The Velveteen Dream would turn on Ricochet and lay him out in the middle of the ring for Lars Sullivan to make short work of him. Sullivan won the match with the Freak Accident.
One wonders if this means that Sullivan is next in line to take on Aleister Black for the prized NXT Championship. This would be a very fresh and interesting feud.
#3 Cheating to win again
Either WWE has toned down their move set or TM61 has gone full heel. The twosome proved recently that they're not opposed to cheating to win. This week, they were the clear heels in the match against Heavy Machinery, where they cheated to win yet again. Gone are the flashy moves that put these two Aussies on the map.
With War Raiders, Street Profits and Heavy Machinery, NXT has a stacked babyface tag team division. Thorne and Miller are probably going heel to give these babyfaces, some opponents to work with!
#2 A rivalry that keeps getting more personal
Johnny Gargano is the best babyface in wrestling right now. This week, he made his big return following the attack by Tommaso Ciampa. Gargano even contemplated whether he should hang up his boots in light of recent events. After a moment of introspection, Gargano revealed he was more fired up than ever.
Candice LeRae brought in a whole host of referees to stop Gargano from taking on Ciampa in light of recent events. And then Ciampa knocked Gargano off the apron and on to his wife who lay on the floor. The NXT Universe was stunned.
This rivalry is obviously far from done at this point in time. I can't wait for their next encounter down the road!
#1 Extremely packed show next week
Roderick Strong was just another guy on the roster when he first came into WWE. And then, NXT did a special going back all the way to where it all began for him. This got him over like nothing in the past had done. Today, he's one half of the NXT Tag Team Champions.
NXT will do a similar special for Bianca Belair next week. As impressive as she has been thus far, I must say that this will do wonders for her. It will give the audience another reason to care!
I similarly cannot wait for Dakota Kai vs. Shayna Baszler for the NXT Women's Championship. This should be one for the ages!
Go Team Kick!
