10 Worst Wrestling Storylines Right Now

8. NXT's Various Midcard Programmes

BRAS Kevin Owens
NXT

NXT's midcard here is grouped together because it's so much of a contrived and repetitive and basic muchness.

Last week, Lio Rush defeated Angel Garza to become the #1 contender to Jordan Devlin's Cruiserweight Championship. As is tradition, his upcoming opponent met him by the top of the entrance ramp to deliver a message. The week prior to that, Dominick Dijakovic defeated Damien Priest. His upcoming opponent, Keith Lee, met him on the entrance ramp for the customary stare-down. Weeks prior to that, a victorious Angel Garza was met in the Bermuda Triangle of Conflict by Lio Rush. Weeks prior to that, Killian Dain met Pete Dunne in the Bermuda Triangle of Conflict. The week prior to that...

This happens all of the time, and if it's not a posed entrance ramp stare-down, it's one guy stealing another guy's hat, or an in-ring stare-down, or a post-match beat-down, or a brawl interrupted by a wave of referees...

NXT, far too often, crafts two-week "stories" set-up by this basic, near-parody premise, the match happens, and often, the loser disappears for weeks on end as the writers scramble for something for them to do. That something is often a win followed by a confrontation and or a brawl.

The wrestling matches in NXT are often incredible. I should want to watch them more.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!