5 Ups And 3 Downs From WWE NXT (Nov 25)

Downs...

3. Ciampa Gets Thatcher's Attention... For Some Reason

With Timothy Thatcher and Tommaso Ciampa seemingly teasing the beginning of what will surely be a hard-hitting, if not slightly unexpected rivalry last week and KUSHIDA being on something of a roll as of late, you weren't exactly expecting the catch wrestler to come out of this scenario on top.

The second Ciampa wandered down to ringside, Thatcher's fate was pretty much sealed.

Now, the match itself was the brutal, submission heavy contest you'd expect from two of the most technically sound performers on the roster. However, the shock of seeing the catch wrestling specialist tapping out to KUSHIDA was frustratingly diluted by Ciampa's presence setting the stage for the moment.

The way this feud has been set up just feels messy. Ciampa is sick of the way the current NXT locker room conducts themselves, so he targets the one person who seems like a genuine throwback to an era he holds dear?

Admittedly, having Ciampa not actually put his hands on Thatcher in costing him this match was at least a nice change of pace. But the face/heel roles are in no way clear here and the longer that's the case, the longer this back-and-forth between bullies will feel like a frustrating waste.