1. Finn vs Apollo Feels Bloodless
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6DzAu1B9nY It's the battle of the inspirational video packages. Who has the most poignant stock footage? Who sheds the most tears? Who wins the war of respecting their opponent the most? I kid, sorta. Apollo Crews' shot at Finn Balor's title is destined to be unsuccessful because, instead of waiting for a TakeOver special, they've chosen to air it on regularly-scheduled NXT programming. While this is always a great boost to your average episode of NXT, it does have the unfortunate effect of designating it a 'filler feud' in a lot of fans' minds, a transitional bout between now and Balor's next major feud (almost definitely Samoa Joe). With that in mind, NXT have picked a tried and true method of attempting to make feud matter with limited time. They gave Crews a couple of mini-docs, looking at his early career, family, and how he debuted in Brooklyn on his birthday. Last night, they also aired a cut-down version of 'Who Is Finn Balor' in an 'anything you can sentiment, I can sentiment better' brand of one-upmanship. Did it work? Not really. It will still be exciting to see the two men face off with the gold on the line, but ultimately Crews hasn't been in NXT long enough or travelled the world as much for his docu-drama to truly strike a chord with the fans. 'Who Is Apollo Crews', when all's said and done, didn't feel half as monumental as Balor's offering, and this, coupled with the fact that we haven't seen the two men in the same ring once during this whole mini-feud, really sucks a lot of the hype out of next week's match. Both performers are great, and it'll likely be a solid match, but the mini-feud feels like a minor missed opportunity.