There was an air of trepidation heading into the first live NXT of 2020.
The decade had ended on a truly magical high. Rhea Ripley's victory celebration looked like a collection of villagers toasting a dragon-slayer because it was. Shayna Baszler had been the unbeatable and unflappable end boss of the NXT Women's Division for 416 days until the Aussie stormed her castle and took her prized possession.
It was as glorious in reality for the show as it was in kayfabe - the black-and-gold brand romped home in the final ratings war of a hotly contested 2019, and performed admirably in the taped episodes that followed. What nobody had to think about then was frustratingly what fans face now - the reality of Worlds Collide.
January will be donated to the NXT Vs NXT UK stories rather than simply focusing on TakeOver: Portland in February, with this week's broadcast being the first to feel the pressure of that. But how did they do under these slightly trying circumstances?
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 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. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, 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
