Marginally better than the Episode One opener because fans had at this point been given the makings of a feud between the two, Flash Morgan Webster's victory over Mark Coffey was carried more by the story arc than the match itself.
Webster's a strange outlier on these shows thus far. His work between the ropes doesn't quite match the best the brand has to offer, and the gimmick, whilst over, is entirely detached from his action when the bell rings. Better to be over than 'just' a good wrestler of course, but the lack of connective tissue between any of it makes emotional investment tougher without WWE going all in on vignettes and over-production for him.
So little thrilled in this match, and considering these were still the very first tapings, shouldn't that have been the point of every segment? The post-match antics between the Coffeys, Webster, Travis Banks and Mark Andrews were better than the match itself, sowing the seeds for a decent angle in the second hour, but what if viewers had already clicked off by then?
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
