5 Ups And 4 Downs From Last Night’s WWE NXT (April 22)

Downs

4. Riley's Forgotten Rage

Although the placement of this match at the top of the card made sense for the brawl that followed, the Main Event of last night's NXT was by no means the match of the night. It was fine, no doubt about that, but it felt rather like microwaved leftovers of their bout from the Arnold Classic, rather than a continuation of the story. The fans were firmly behind Riley, popping when he mustered some offence, but in the end the outcome was the same as the first. Kevin Owens hit the cannonball, followed it up with a pop-up power bomb (not his best, at that), before pinning the former commentator. Other than by placing him in a lesser feud that he can win, it's hard to see where Riley goes from here. Charging back into battle only for the exact same thing to happen makes him look more foolish than brave. Not only that, but the enduring image that the fan's will remember when they think back to this episode will be that of Zayn vs Owens, Riley shrinking into the background, defeated and forgotten. This only stings because A-Ry certain didn't get the chance that he deserved on the main roster, and it seems he won't in NXT either. Would it have altered the final confrontation of the show that much to have Zayn cost Owens a victory? A fluky inside cradle would give Riley something to brag about, and give him some momentum going forward. Perhaps they want to keep Owens undefeated, or NXT simply doesn't want to emulate WWE-style booking. Either way, bye Riley bye.