5 Ups & 5 Downs From Last Night's WWE NXT (Dec 11)

2. A Thrilling Main Event

A very good main event structured intelligently, Keith Lee Vs. Finn Bálor Vs. Tommaso Ciampa was as understated a match you'll see that also incorporated a nasty, rafter-height Tower of Doom spot.

Bálor impressed here, just as the conversation had turned somewhat following two merely good outings against Matt Riddle and Ciampa. His strength and velocity generated the biggest pop of the match, when he cradled a Lee suplex, and catalysed a quality, barricade-shaking breakdown sequence that led to a stunning aerial assault and drove the energy of the fabulous finishing sequence. This wasn't the most pronounced Ciampa performance, but he was protected adequately by displaying a power (his air raid on Lee looked awesome, and he sold the struggle of the build excellently) and resilience that drained him at the finish. Lee continued to impress with the impossible human schtick that manifested here with a squelcher of a moonsault that, realistically, should have been broken up by Bálor and not kicked out of.

The ending, however, was pure poetry.

Bálor, since his return, has claimed that he doesn't watch the business; the business watches him. But he certainly had Ciampa's kill-shot scouted well enough to take advantage of it to secure his shot at Adam Cole.

This was very neat heel character work that tacitly put Ciampa over in defeat, where Lee was protected by the big move/flash pin double-barrel shot.