4 Ups & 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE NXT (Jan 24)

Downs...

3. Winning Without Shining

Bianca Belair
WWE.com

Bianca Belair is going to be huge.

A relative rookie with just 16 months of experience under he belt, she's blessed with the kind of presence that can't be taught, and already carries herself like a big deal. The intangibles are on-point, and hooks like her signature hair-whip will help her get over after settling into a more regular TV role. With all that said, she's still very much a work-in-progress between the ropes, and last night proved it.

Her squash of Latoya Allsop wasn't bad, but wasn't successful in presenting a dominant Belair either. Though she completely controlled her opponent, Bianca's offence lacked intensity, and she wasn't able to pull the crowd into it until she pulled out the hair-whip. The power spots were fun, but she's still learning how to fill the space between moves.

We're not too down on it, as it'd be wrong to expect excellence from someone so new to the sport, and her Mae Young Classic bout with Kairi Sane proves that Belair does have the chops to succeed. She has all the pieces; it's just a matter of putting them together.

Advertisement
In this post: 
WWE NXT
 
Posted On: 
Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.