Yes that title was fruit hanging too low not to pick, but ahead of being a little more generous to the match itself elsewhere in the article, let's investigate why Wade Barrett was given the nudge to aggressively put over Ridge Holland as NXT's next major threat. Presumably, because his big angle dropped with all the grace of Adam Cole himself as the mammoth newcomer tossed his lifeless body to the floor.
On Wednesday's NXT, Cole made a big point of talking about how nobody respected The Undisputed Era anymore, and this certainly serviced that. But it wasn't the bombshell finale the brand perhaps positioned it as, nor the one the show itself desperately needed.
Holland had Dexter Lumis-like projection, which is a slight worry, and the angle itself felt a little half-finished compared to one of many possible post-match permutations the show had worked hard to set up. To call this low on shock but high on intrigue would be the nice way to say it, but it'd also be bullsh*t. It was somewhere in the middle, which may as well be death when it's the show's closing moment.
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
