Kassius Ohno's value to NXT was never (ever?) more evident than in his TakeOver: WarGames opener against Lars Sullivan. After weeks of witnessing the monster utterly destroy the brand's rank-and-file, he took a sh*tkicking of his own in such convincing fashion that Sullivan looked comfortably ready to take the top title and never let go.
It's contests such as this victory over Raul Mendoza that allow for such scenarios. A reverse case of the Brock-Braun-Finn-Kane sadness square on the main roster, the original 'KO' wins enough that credible defeats against Sullivan (and anybody else that needs the rub) mean so much.
Mendoza's losing streak will eventually see him right too. Unlike those that constantly find themselves examining the lights on Mondays and Tuesdays, the superstars of NXT have purpose and direction, even in seemingly constant defeat.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
