10 Live Observations From Glasgow's WWE TV Tapings
7. Damaged Goods
A sobering antidote to the aforementioned huge reactions to Enzo and Cass, the tepid response American Alpha received as they opened proceedings on Main Event was disheartening to say the least. A viral sensation on the NXT UK tour in late 2015, Jordan and Gable found themselves subject to the biggest cheers of their short careers when they last appeared in front of UK crowds. The Jordan/Gable 'No Limit' chant in particular would run and run, night after night, making spine-tingling appearances particularly in Newcastle, Blackpool and the Hydro in Glasgow itself, briefly becoming the talk of the wrestling world as more fan videos popped up on social media.
But the draft hasn't been kind to American Alpha so far. Making their debut alongside a stuttery conclusion to their NXT run, they quickly fell behind to the surprise Slater/Rhyno tandem, and only served to aid their opponents' trajectory when being the chosen victims for the Uso heel turn. To somewhat defend WWE's handling of the act, they pretty much tell you every week that these are the best team in the whole world, and it's a matter of time before they're wearing the belts to prove it. However actions are speaking much louder than words, and some unfavourable booking has cooled the act so significantly that fans barely came to life during the pair's only appearance on the tapings - a listless singles match between Chad Gable and Connor from the Ascension.
In a similar vein to the recent treatment of Dolph Ziggler, they look to always only be 2 or 3 wins away from an immediate return to the fans' good graces, but you could sense disappointment from the two as they looked for the reactions of 6 months ago that just never materialised.