2 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE NXT (Jan 11, 2017)

Downs...

3. Antipodean Tedium

Royce Kay
WWE.com

The Asuka Vs. Billie Kay and Peyton Royce feud rumbled on. At this point, it’s as interminable as it is impossible to take seriously.

The problem with building Asuka so strongly throughout 2015 and 2016 is that the women is peerless. WWE have attempted to circumvent this by pairing the two Australians together, but it hasn’t worked. It’s so transparent that it’s almost subtraction through addition. An angle, screened prior to their opening match opposite Macy Evans and Sarah Bridges, saw them batter Asuka against a production truck - but it didn’t generate much in the way of heat; the subsequent chants of “Asuka’s gonna kill you” were halfhearted in the extreme. The comeuppance is so obviously happening, in a match which can’t possibly live up to Asuka’s usual standards, that the prospect of it isn’t appealing.

The match itself just underscored the lack of dramatic tension. Grabbing the microphone after scoring the win, Peyton Royce responded to the crowd’s tame taunts by rhetorically asking whether they “just saw what happened”. The implication was that they needn’t be scared - but all they did was just cheat their way to victory over some anonymous enhancement talent in a nothing match. It was hardly a show of intimidation.

That post-match interview was excruciating. The proverbial nails on the chalkboard. Watching Asuka kick their faces in might be somewhat enjoyable - but it won’t justify weeks’ worth of this dross.

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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!