5 Ups & 3 Downs From Last Night's NXT (Aug 5)

4. A Thorne In Your Side

This is how you do an exhibition match.

Bronson Reed's a big deal right now, and with wheels needing to be spun ahead of his TakeOver ladder match, someone was going to have to donate their this week. Shane Thorne's current position on the brand (or lack thereof) means that he's a good candidate for this, but much like Reed himself in months past, he emerged from the loss with a lot of credit.

Thorne's a very talented worker, but he's way down the pecking order in NXT. In his few minutes against as ascendant Reed he's been able to remind both fans and management what he has to offer, and that's ultimately how you need to construct these "squashes". Ever-Rise getting mullered in consecutive weeks does nothing for them, but Shane Thorne looking like he might sneak an upset over a rising star does.

Ironically, this match came a week shy of the 1 year anniversary of Thorne's last win on NXT. Even more ironically that came against Bronson Reed, a man who now looks a solid favourite (at this point in the night) to be the next North American Champion. His time might well come but, either way, this was a strong showing for him.