5 Ups And 1 Down From WWE NXT (Nov 11)

Ups...

5. The Wheel Deal

We open this week with what might well be NXT's best segment this year.

Johnny Gargano, walking us through his much-maligned history of dropping titles on their first defence, decides he's going to a North American Championship opportunity to a random member of the NXT roster. Where there's a wheel, there's a way, and the hilariously gimmicked "randomiser" landed on, of all people, Leon Ruff... who won.

Commentators absolutely love overstating a moment but this wasn't an exaggeration to call it the biggest upset in the entire history of NXT. Ruff has less than 5 minutes of ring-time on TV, being comprehensively squashed by Austin Theory, Karrion Kross, Tomasso Ciampa, and Bronson Reed.

But this was brilliant. From the moment Gargano gave Ruff the Triple H 'New Champ' photo pose, something special was brewing here. With Ruff's brief flurries of offence catching the eye, and Damien Priest's ringside appearance offering only the faintest of distractions, it's important to recognise this as the clean win it was. Ruff, a little guy too little to even wear the belt around his waist, just won huge.

As for Gargano, this is still a pitch-perfect role for him. His backstage tirade with Priest and Regal showing that whether he's gloating or beside himself, he's one of the most entertaining things in pro-wrestling right now.