3 Ups & 2 Downs From WWE NXT (Dec 21)
Was that the best TV match of the year?
The problem with modern wrestling is that there’s too damn much of it. You need two hands to count the hours, even on the ever-decreasing weeks on which there isn’t a Pay Per View event, but you need just one to count the reasons to tune in. Three of those - loyalty, routine, fear of missing out - have nothing to do with WWE’s turgid creative process.
This over-saturation does at least provide a platform for great wrestling. With no US Open Challenge, 2016 failed to reach 2015’s lofty heights, but there were some corkers to be found, regardless. Charlotte and Sasha Banks’ Falls Count Anywhere bout on November 28 was a pleasant and thrilling surprise. Finn Bálor Vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, on the July 13 episode of NXT, compensated for predictability with fine, suspenseful storytelling. But the Fatal Four-Way No. 1 Contender’s match on this week’s NXT might have stolen TV Match Of The Year honours, right at the death.
This week’s edition of NXT was far from perfect. Percy Watson had to be reminded by Corey Graves that he was there to talk. Billie Kay and Peyton Royce generated only minor X-Pac circa 2001 heat with their nails-on-chalkboard post-match promo. A certain tag team reminded us that bigger certainly does not equal better.
The last half hour, however, was glorious…