5 Ups And 2 Downs From WWE NXT (Sep 8)
4. Robert Stone He Had A Farm, Aliyah, E-I, Io
It feels like with every passing week there's another baffling NXT segment that dangerously skirts the Up/Down border. Something that is either hugely flawed in its process but just about saves face purely on the strength of the talent involved, or something that's at least enjoyable in its absurdity. This was the latter.
Robert Stone is going to smash up Blondie with a bat/pole/something. Funny!
Shotzi Blackheart catches him and just decks him instead. Entertaining!
Aliyah rushes to the rescue but accidentally spills the fight into Io Shirai's photoshoot. Japery!
Shirai chases her into the ring where they do the old back-off-only-to-bump-into-trouble spot. Slapstick!
Stone and Aliyah both get double finishers for their troubles. Payoff!
Blackheart picks up Shirai's title and hesitates to give it back. Tension! And Narrative!!
This was non-sensical in the extreme, and having two faces effectively bully two heels is so counterproductive to having fans connect with them in a meaningful way, but it did at least get a few titters out of me. It's weird that Io hasn't managed to get a title defence during this whole Super Tuesday nonsense - or any match at all for that matter - but a friendly rivalry with Blackheart would at least kill a week or two.