5 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE NXT (Aug 12)
Ups...
5. Son Of A Burch
Squash matches don't need to be useless.
They really don't, and this Danny Burch vs. Karrion Kross opener was proof of that. Burch, who was attacked by the crazed Kross last week, called for the bell to sound immediately and then showed some great fire early on. That made sense, but so did Karrion's submission win.
This was a nifty piece of business that made Burch look like he had something to offer without being able to go toe-to-toe with the NXT Title's top contender in a lengthy match. Their bout was kept short, punchy and ended with a satisfying heel victory that sets Kross up nicely for Keith Lee.
One could perhaps do without Karrion's smack talk mid-match though. That was unnecessary, doesn't fit his machine-like, laser-focused gimmick and almost raised a laugh when he shouted, "Come on, Danny boy!". Less of that, more of the beatdowns and he'll be fine.