NXT’s made mediocrity its resting place for quite some time. The biggest indicator of this? Johnny Gargano is the number one contender for the Men’s North American Championship.
This isn’t a diss to Johnny—I’ll save that for Geno—but definitely a slight against NXT. They spent weeks building up everyone in this match to some degree: Shiloh Hill, Charlie Dempsey, Dion Lennox, and Jackson Drake. They all had a moment in the sun or multiple moments. Charlie is part of a new stable that for some reason is spelled “Birth Right” instead of “Birthright.” Shiloh is…well, Shiloh. Dion leads DarkState, which is spelled that way instead of “Dark State.” Jackson is the former Evolve champ and leader of Vanity Project. Jackson also looked like a former champ in this match where he and Shiloh made the ring their own.
And yet, NXT decided to give the spot to a guy who doesn’t even go here anymore. Story wise, Candice LaRae forced Johnny into the match, he was in over his head most of the time, barely did anything, and literally fell into a victory. And that guy after that performance is going into the biggest show of the year with a title shot in his back pocket?
The decision felt like a slap in the face but also unimaginative. Like I said, indicative of NXT as a whole right now.
This was a rough show. There were a few things I liked but overall, it just felt like they were doing all they could to get to next week and then get to Stand & Deliver in two weeks. The logic was off, the pacing was lacking, the commercial breaks do not help at all, and there’s no heft to anything outside of Zaria and Sol Ruca’s story. They’re really suffering without the roster that carried them into last year’s Stand & Deliver.
What say you, Cagesiders? Are you looking forward to NXT in MSG?
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