5 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE NXT Battleground (Review)

2. Wasting The Dragon

WWE has a reputation for signing accomplished, talented wrestlers that are seen as can’t-miss prospects and then breaking them down and putting them through their paces before either building them back up or cutting bait with them, claiming they couldn’t cut it in the WWE system.

Dragon Lee came in with all the requisite hype as a fantastic wrestler who could really shine in NXT/WWE and be a major player. But the WWE system has managed to normalize him in just a couple short months, putting him through the “sports entertainment wringer” and having him lose his debut match – a five-way for the North American Championship at Stand & Deliver – and three of his first four matches in NXT.

And then he got roped into the Heritage Cup title match against Noam Dar at Battleground, which was kind of a no-win situation for him. If he won, he’d be a “champion” of a strange title with rules that doesn’t lend itself to Lee’s strengths. But losing would further his run of “bad luck” in NXT – and that’s what we got, with Lash Legend bludgeoning Dragon with a spit bucket, allowing Dar to hit the Nova Roller for the win.

That’s quite the ignominious start for Dragon Lee. Don’t worry though, NXT will build him back up into the superstar they feel he can be. They just need to shake the indy stink off him.