5 Ups And 2 Downs From Last Night's NXT (Sep 23)

1. Gargano Strikes And Theory Loses Again

The second this match was announced, the odds on Austin Theory halting his recent losing streak in the ring did not look good.

Yet, even with an upset victory looking unlikely, this contest was still a brilliant demonstration of exactly what both rising stars bring to the table. Priest taught Theory a few explosive lessons via his usual array of unorthodox strikes, while the smarmy youngster again proved that he has the makings of a future top star.

Unfortunately, though, somebody had to take the 'L' and it was never going to be the recently crowned North American Champion. This now means Theory is yet to win a bout in three attempts since popping back up on the black and yellow brand earlier this month. You can only look so good in defeat before people start to think of you as a loser and Theory is most definitely on thin ice.

This unavoidable conclusion was then marred even further by the appearance of Priest's next challenger Johnny Gargano. 'The Wednesday Night' superkicked the champ in the face post-victory and followed this up by mocking his future opponent's chosen taunt. Sadly though, this only served as an unwanted reminder of just how thrown together the North American Championship scene really is at this moment in time.