Best and Worst of WWE NXT - Superstar turns face, Finn Balor to leave the show?

#2 Worst: No Johnny Gargano or Kyle O'Reilly on NXT

Per #WWENXT GM @RealKingRegal, @KORcombat vs. @PeteDunneYxB vs. @JohnnyGargano NEXT WEEK. The winner will face the #NXTChampion at #NXTTakeOver: In Your House! #WeAreNXT pic.twitter.com/KczsUCZMn9

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) May 26, 2021

William Regal may have announced them for next week's NXT Championship number one contender's match, but the lack of Johnny Gargano and Kyle O'Reilly on tonight's episode was evident. They are among the biggest stars on the Black and Gold brand.

Gargano may have lost the NXT North American Championship to Bronson Reed last week, but he remains an entertaining figure. We were not given a reaction to this defeat, which definitely would have been fun to see.

In fact, aside from a brief moment of Indi Hartwell visiting Dexter Lumis' room, The Way was not featured at all on NXT. That is a shame, as the four-person group hasn't been together on screen for a few weeks now. Hopefully, we will get more of The Way in the fallout of next week's triple threat.

Meanwhile, Kyle O'Reilly hasn't been seen since Bobby Fish returned to NXT and saved him from a beatdown at the hands of Pete Dunne and Oney Lorcan. The former Undisputed Era member did not return the favor when Fish was attacked by the duo this week.

#WWENXT @PeteDunneYxB vs @theBobbyFish was a banger!!! @ONEYLORCAN ... where is @KORcombat??

— John Morrison (@TheRealMorrison) May 26, 2021

More could have been done to build next week's triple threat, with O'Reilly and Dunne both in the match. Considering how well NXT is able to incorporate all of its relevant superstars into an episode, Johnny Gargano and Kyle O'Reilly's absences this week were disappointing.