5 Ups And 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE NXT (Nov 25)

3. Corporate Villainy In The Main Event

Last night's episode of NXT was a source of high excitement, but also nervous caution. Shades of the Authority angle crept into NXT programming last night and, while it made for an exciting and unpredictable main event, it could also be the start of a worrying trend. The night started off in bizarre fashion with Michael Cole in the ring instead of William Regal, who is legitimately recuperating after successful neck surgery. Cole, knowing that he's not exactly Mr Popularity to the purist-centric audience of NXT, established his heat straight away with one of his most excruciating catchphrases, "may I have your attention please." He told that crowd that his corporate bosses had sent him, and that he'd be taking over for a short while. The 'corporate' influence didn't stop there. Eva Marie revealed that she had received a large number of gifts from management and her bosses at Total Divas, and that main roster referee Charles Robinson had been sent down to 'oversee' the title match between Bayley and All Red Everything. Did the outsider ref making things difficult for Bayley? Course he did. The influence of the main roster made it a really odd night, almost reminiscent of the Invasion angle: outsider forces from an alien (and despised to the home crowd) promotion come in and co-opt the show. While it made last night's episode both intriguing and exciting, do fans want a repeat of the Authority angle here in NXT? Will this become a regular thing, with certain up-and-coming superstars being earmarked for success by corporate management and given advances over their fellow rookies? It's only a possibility at this point, so lets focus on the positive aspects of the invasion, such as...