4 Ups & 2 Downs From Last Night's WWE NXT (Feb 28)
A minor dip in form, but a dip nonetheless.
WWE's developmental brand has been tremendously consistent this year, delivering week after week of exceptional programming, even by NXT's lofty standards. That hot streak didn't quite come to an end last night, but the episode was a slight step down.
The show suffered without a true blowaway match, but that's not the say the in-ring offerings were bad: far from it, in fact. Each succeeded from a storytelling standpoint, and while one particular clash fell short of expectations, the action was still solid enough to finish on the positive side of the equation.
The Velveteen Dream called former UK Champion Tyler Bate out a few weeks ago, and finally fought him last night. Elsewhere, Shayna Baszler and Kairi Sane's bad blood boiled over, Cezar Bononi met The Undisputed Era, and a gloating Andrade 'Cien' Almas bid Johnny Gargano a not-so-fond farewell, before bumping into two potential NXT Title contenders.
The valleys were minor, but NXT's peaks weren't quite as pronounced as usual. Nonetheless, it was another solid weekly offering from WWE's best brand. Things will likely gather pace as we head towards TakeOver: New Orleans, and with the Dusty Classic returning next week, fun matches are all but guaranteed...