And while we're on that exact sentiment, the ensuing brawl between all the women in the ring immediately led to a 6-woman tag team match between the faces and the heels. Shirai, Belair and Ray squared up against Candice, Storm and Ripley to start the show and, while not pulling up any trees, reminded everyone watching how good this division is when given the time.
While the match itself isn't one that's going to live long in the memory, it left enough tantalizing narrative threads hanging that it'll likely be the jumping-off point for a number of matches. Io Shirai walked out on her team, leaving Belair to eat the pin, Candice LeRae almost couldn't quite bring herself to hand Ripley her championship back, rub your grubby hands together in glee my friends for everyone is back on their bullsh**t.
All of this as well, without Shayna Baszler. Likely destined for the main roster and a date with the Royal Rumble, NXT's female contingent look like they'll be absolutely fine without 2019's biggest star. Look at any other title picture on any other show and ask yourself if they'd faire as well...
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
