8 Ups & 9 Downs For WWE NXT In 2020

By Michael Hamflett / December 14, 2020

3. The Charlotte Flair Experiment

WWE.com

The Charlotte Flair experiment failed because 'The Queen' didn't score a ratings or demographic victory for NXT during her second stint as Champion following WrestleMania 36.

It's possible that the novelty of the event was harmed by the onset of the ongoing global b*stard, but then everything was harmed and some stuff even shone. Charlotte Flair could have been the latter, but the guts of the idea felt infected the second she held the belt aloft at the 'Show Of Shows'.

Rhea Ripley felt like her equal before their match and hasn't been as close since. Io Shirai beat her instead of Flair to win the title in their triple threat title switch. The reign was over, but quickly came to reflect just one more misfire in a months-long period of them.

Authored by Michael Hamflett

Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for nearly 10 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 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 65,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, 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.

Posted On: 14th Dec 2020

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