To be honest, it was a one match episode this week. What a brilliant match it was, though! But before we jump into the thick of things, let’s begin like we should have, at the beginning.
Coming off what was a pretty exciting Elimination Chamber, followed by a Raw with many interesting developments and subsequently, SmackDown Live, a show capped off with a great main event; NXT had high expectations to live up to this eventful week.
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How did it fare? Let’s go to Full Sail University once again and pinpoint five critical points from this week’s episode.
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#5 A big name is arriving soon!
When CM Punk and the rest of the WWE think tank, first came up with the idea of The Shield, they thought of three young and talented performers to fill the spots. The first was the highly athletic Seth Rollins, the second the very charismatic Dean Ambrose, and believe it or not, the third was a talented performer named Kassius Ohno aka Chris Hero.
Not only did Triple H push for Roman Reigns instead of Kassius Ohno, the latter was eventually released from NXT. This week we saw a clip advertising his much awaited NXT return.
After a very successful run on the independent circuit, Ohno is back on NXT again. This time, as a far more seasoned performer, who is a much better wrestler than he was when in NXT the first time. Most hardcore NXT fans have seen the clip of him confronting former NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura on YouTube.
They even saw him next to the injured Nakamura after his loss to current NXT Champion Bobby Roode. It will be interesting to see when Ohno makes his debut and what program he is put in. We’re certain he will be a very big player!
#4 NXT tag team matches are not as good, any more
American Alpha and The Revival transformed tag team wrestling from a sideshow to something that was the highlight of any NXT Takeover event. This trend continued with #DIY, who took over the mantle from The Revival and put on some of the best tag-team matches we’ve seen in a while.
However, The Authors of Pain are booked as monsters and they work differently. Much like we saw this week as they took on Lance Anoa’i and Garrison Spears, their matches are one sided squash fests. It’s impossible to imagine them losing to anyone in the current roster based on how they’ve been booked.
We must admit that we miss the younger, more athletic tag teams in NXT.
#3 The Revival are not done with NXT yet!
Every week, we wait for Dash and Dawson to show the main roster how tag team wrestling is done right. Every week, we are disappointed by them not showing up. Well, they have unfinished business in NXT, in the tag team division.
From the looks of it, it’s going to be a three-way feud between The Revival, #DIY and The NXT Tag Team Champions, the Authors of Pain. Now performers have been on two brands at the same time before, but we expect The Revival to be in a program on NXT for a while now, before they get called up to Smackdown (hopefully) or well, even Raw.
#2 Red-eyed mystery partner
The mystery partner for Liv Morgan, during her match with the heel stable of Billie Kay and Peyton Royce, was none other than the red-eyed Ember Moon. Thanks to Morgan, she also suffered her first loss, although she didn't get pinned during the match.
This sets up an exciting three-way match for next week, between Ember Moon, Peyton Royce and Liv Morgan (who seems less exciting when Corey Graves isn't running down her city on commentary). We expect Moon to win the match and go on to challenge Asuka. Can she break Asuka’s streak then? We’ll know soon!
#1 Moustache twirling, hard-hitting main event match
Tyler Bate defended his Championship for the first time since he won the WWE UK Tournament in Blackpool, England. He took on another fellow UK resident and moustache fan, his mentor Trent Seven. The two babyfaces took their time before they got things going with a lot of showboating, and even some cricket-based offence.
The match built slowly to a crescendo, and Bate kicking out of Seven's finisher was unexpected. We see many bright things in Tyler Bate's future, quite honestly. Will this title be defended at NXT Takeovers also? Many questions should be answered at Orlando, come April.
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