NXT had every chance of remaining at the apex of the wrestling world following a phenomenal offering last week...until three other major shows took place at the weekend, its UK sister offered a match-of-the-year candidate, AEW nearly set fire to a dog and Chris Jericho's enthusiasm for a "LITTLE BIT OF THE BUBBLY" became the industry's most vital talking point.
Not ideal, but not something the brand can't cope with, not least considering the form of the weekly show over the past several months.
It's all the more frustrating that TakeOver: Toronto was such a disappointment - NXT hasn't always been appointment viewing during the superworker era, but with just two episodes left before they enter the USA Network era, it has to retain said quality in order to get a good jump in the Wednesday Night Wars.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
