Wednesday Night Wars: WWE NXT Week 9 Review
After an action packed War Games and NXT surprisingly winning Survivor Series, how would NXT keep the momentum going?
Well to put it simply, with a damn good show.
The Women Steal the Show
NXT has always had a strong women’s division, creatively. However for the most part, the men usually have the better and more intriguing stories. After War Games, that script has flipped entirely, the women of NXT by far have the most interesting stories on the show.
I wish I could say the same for AEW.
One of the more shocking events at War Games was Dakota Kai turning on her “best friend” Tegan Knox. Then you have Rhea (who is a star) going after Shayna and the NXT Women’s Championship. Sure the men have a couple interesting stories like Ciampa trying to get back Goldie with Keith Lee and Dijakovic by his side. However, the women’s stories have a lot more depth and bite to them, they are the highlight of the show as they should be.
The character development of these women has been amazing. Between Rhea blooming into a star during Survivor Series and Dakota’s genuinely shocking turn, the ladies have this show on lock.
Finn Balor vs. Tommaso Ciampa
NXT often spoils us with dream matches on weekly TV, but this is one that could (and probably will) main event a TakeOver.
If you look at how dark Ciampa’s character was during the Gargano feud, and the darkness that Finn is embracing, it is a match made in heaven. This is one I never though it’d see, and quite frankly never knew I wanted. Now this was no 5-star TakeOver main event, but I think that was on purpose.
I believe guys like Finn and Ciampa have a third gear, that they use on big shows like TakeOvers. That’s not to say this was a bad match by any means, it was a fun one with two guys that somehow have really good chemistry. Finn pinned Ciampa in a dirty way after Ciampa smacked his neck on the NXT title that was on the mat.
The finish protects Ciampa and makes Finn look as strong as ever. He’s going to need to look strong when he wins that NXT title down the line.
Rating
This was not a perfect show by any means, there were things I could’ve lived without. You know they are trying to kill time when we get Mansoor vs. Shane Freaking Thorne.
The good spots of the show largely outweighed the bad, but I feel like they didn’t hit the bar that they’ve set for themselves.
Grade: B-
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The Scrap’s Austin Luff is broadcasting student with a passion for watching and writing about mixed martial arts and professional wrestling. Make sure to follow Austin on Twitter (@AJMMA_).
Average Rating