3 Ups & 2 Downs From WWE NXT (January 18, 2017)

1. A Dearth Of Star Power, A Dearth Of In-Ring Action

Make no mistake - Roderick Strong, at his best, is more than capable of putting on a show. But, realistically, he is synonymous with the downfall of Ring Of Honor, post-2000s heyday. That’s not a slight - better workers than Strong have been unable to sustain business in what is a cyclical industry - but he did not arrive in Orlando dripping with same acclaim as Sami Zayn, Neville et al.

The injury to Austin Aries has had an indirectly adverse effect on his positioning in NXT. Suddenly a babyface, only in that he is set to do battle with a heel in Andrade “Cien” Almas, it’s clear that the programme has been thrown together. His match opposite Steve Cutler was little more than a squash, the reaction to which was naturally subdued, given the suddenness with which he has turned.

Elsewhere, the backstage segment, setting up a match between No Way Jose and Kona Reeves was awkward, promising a match of house show quality at best.

The in-ring action was non-existent - though Nikki Cross’ awesome character work in the opening squash made up for her lack of ring time - but there were mitigating factors at play. The third and final match, between The Revival and TM61, was truncated by Shane Thorne’s injury. It at least developed The Revival act, while it lasted; the team, now calling themselves the greatest of all time, succumbed to a shock early loss. It adds - or added - an interesting wrinkle to the tag division, but external forces appear to have put paid to that development.