3 Ups & 2 Downs From WWE NXT (Dec 21)

Downs...

2. Diminished Returns

Daria Berenato
WWE.com

As mentioned in last week’s write-up, the Billie Kay/Peyton Royce partnership is a plagiarised bastardisation of the winning Emma/Dana Brooke pairing, lacking as much in quality as it is in originality.

Kay’s opening match, opposite Daria Berenato, was inauspicious in the extreme. What’s ironic about Berenato is that, prior to appearing on Tough Enough, she experienced minor success within the fringes of the MMA scene - and yet her shadow boxing looks atrocious. She punched the air for so long - nine bizarre seconds - that I momentarily thought it was computer game glitch.

The match itself was a short, nothing affair, memorable only for the weak finish. Berenato was driven back-first into the apron, which as we’re constantly reminded, is the hardest part of the ring. But, since it’s now used so frequently, the power of such spots has faded considerably.

This led to her inevitable defeat, which only advanced a storyline we’ve already seen done better. Kay, Royce and Berenato are new to the game, and they’re not terrible. They just have an impossible standard to live up to.

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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!