10 Things WWE Is Still Awesome At
7. NXT
NXT is still really, really good. The increased saturation of content might have something to do with its lack of buzz, as has the rise of New Japan Pro Wrestling in the minds of those disenfranchised with main roster Creative - but it's still there, in the background, as good - if not as novel - as it's always been.
While Ryan Ward may have experienced a promotion of his own - he's actually one of depressingly few to succeed - NXT remains a well-written hour of episodic programming. Bobby Roode's recent mini-feud with Roderick Strong was excellent stuff. It was something of a tribute to the legendary Flair Vs. Steamboat series in that Roode played the aloof, moneyed jerk to Strong's sympathetic everyman. Recycling isn't bad - in wrestling, it's inevitable - but there's good recycling and bad recycling (see: SmackDown Foreign Menace Fever).
The Last Woman Standing match between Asuka Vs. Nikki Cross was everything I'd hoped it would be - gripping, unhinged, realistic character-based wrestling. The Velveteen Dream is opening eyes everywhere with his unusual and sumptuously performed act - and is also a rare success in that he is essentially a WWE creation (Maryland Championship Wrestling is hardly as successful a production line as ROH/PWG) prospering on the level of those who made their name elsewhere.
The future is still now.